Pokemon Adventures: The Prism Chapter
by Scott Nakagawa
Summary: Brenda Viridian and her mother were on a camping trip, but after disaster strikes, Brenda finds herself isolated in the Naljo region. Faced with unfair circumstances, she and Larvitar must forge a new life as a pokemon trainer and protect what she holds most dear, even as it changes. Story follows the nuzlocke journey taken by me in the game Pokemon Prism. Very dark themes. But PG.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I swung the hammer onto the last tent peg. I let go of the tent's tarp, and to my amazement, it didn't blow away. The tent stood firm. Only little parts of the cover swayed with the breeze.

"Whoo!" I shouted, pumping my tiny fists in the air as I jumped up. My pigtails bobbed when I turned around to face my mom, who stood with arms folded and a warm smile. "I told you I could set up the tent myself! I told you!"

Mom patted me on the head. "I never doubted you. I was just concerned for your safety. Girls your age shouldn't play with weapons."

"Mmhh!" I pouted while bending over, dropping the hammer. "I'm finally 10 years old! I can handle tools, just like the guys in class!"

"Guys like to posture. It's in their nature." Mom bent over to pick up the hammer, and then walked towards the bag that used to contain tent supplies. "Let's focus on us. We're finally doing that family weekend we've been talking about, just you and me." She began loading supplies into the once-empty bag.

I contested for a moment, furrowing my brow. "I guess you're right. What's our plan?"

In answer to this question, my stomach grumbled. I glanced around at the Wartortle faucet, the doctor oak trees surrounding us, the Torkoal grill, Mom's tent bag in front of all the other bags she brought, literally anything else in the campsite aside from Mom. Not that I enjoyed looking at the punny labels scattered throughout the campsite.

Mom, during my period of looking at things, walked over to her pile of cooking supplies. "Do you want an early dinner, Brenda?" she asked while opening the cooler.

"Nuh-uh." I gripped my stomach with my arm, scrunching the area of my navy blue logo top around my stomach. "Girls need to control what they eat. Otherwise, they can't get super-fit and wear any size clothing they like. I want options!"

"Don't mind the dumb crud people say on TV." Mom pulled out two Ziploc bags. One had sliced green peppers inside. The other contained chunks of paprika-seasoned Taur-Taur meat, my favorite variety. "Want dinner?" Mom asked.

I ran over to her and started jumping around the cooler. "Yes yes yes yes! Shish ka bobs! Shish ka bobs! Eating, grilling, munching, filling, perfect after day of milling!" Mom put down the bags and we high-fived with both hands. "Hahaha!" We laughed in unison.

Mom shook her head. "I can't believe you still recall that dumb jingle."

"I can't believe you don't have more verses." My attention stayed on the bags currently in the cooler, along with drinks and other perishable foods. Mom put the lid over our cooler. _We're the only family in the world without a pokemon-powered cooler,_ I thought. _And why is she closing it?_ I pouted.

"Why don't we go gather some sticks so I can start the fire?" Mom asked.

I formed an X with my hands. "No! I want faster dinner! I'll get the sticks myself, and you can prepare all the complicated stuff!"

"And let you go off into the woods on your own?" Mom shook her head. "I can't allow that. I know we're in an artificial wildlife-free zone, but there are still tons of ways you can injure yourself. And I won't know immediately!"

I took my backpack off my back and put it on the ground. I then pulled my cell phone from the pocket. "Yes you will! Wait, no, I don't mean I'll get injured. But, well, you know…"

Mom sighed. "I know you're looking to be independent. Like I said, you don't need to believe what the boys at school say. You can gain independence without endangering yourself."

Those words set off my tangent. "But it's at my age that people start doing all the cool stuff! Two kids became the best trainers in their regions by starting at age 10. I can at least do one thing on my own! They went to fight a bunch of monsters and came out on top! I'm just going to pick up some sticks!"

Mom pondered about this with folded arms. "If you're that determined, fine," she consented. "You have to be back in 20 minutes or less. Or I'm coming to find you, and you don't get to try something like this again until your next birthday!"

"Whaaaaah?" I pouted. "That's not fair! What if I take a wrong path?"

"Being independent means such things shouldn't worry you." Humming a tune once played on all of Goldenrod's stations once an hour, Mom started sticking meat and peppers onto foot-long wooden skewers.

I put the backpack on my shoulders. "You…believe in me, right?"

"Of course I do." Mom smiled back at me. "If you have a potential punishment, you'll be motivated enough to not break it, right?"

I set a timer on my phone for 20 minutes, pushed 'start', and shoved the phone into my backpack. "Berightback!" I shouted as I ran off, backpack on its rightful place, into the fake woods. _Why am I running?_ _Because it's fun, silly. I've only got 20 minutes for an adventure, and I gotta take advantage of it!_

"Gasp, gasp!" I grasped my chest. _Running stops being fun after too little time,_ I thought. I pulled out my phone. '17:33, 17:32', it read. I looked down and saw a couple of sticks. I picked them up and put them in my backpack. A couple steps forward, I saw another small bundle of sticks. I added them into the sack, only to note another bundle just a few steps forward.

I continued to follow these bundles until I walked pigtails first into a metal wire fence. We had entered through a door inside a wall, so I didn't see the what this fence had to do with anything. Weren't we in a walled-in area? My curiosity only built further once I saw a sign that read, _"Warning: mountain prone to rock slide. Keep out unless authorized."_

What I saw surrounding me caused me to drop the sticks I was holding. Just behind this fence was a huge mountain. I careened my neck upwards, yet I couldn't see the top. An electric current seemed to run through this fence. That contraption likely fended off any potential anthropomorphic attackers. Right? _How did I not see this when I came in with Mom,_ I asked myself.

To my right stood the backside of a cavern. Its surface looked jagged. I couldn't see an entrance from where I stood. There were probably plenty of rock monsters and Zubats in the cave, if the books I've read have credible sources. But they wouldn't leave the cave to attack anyone outside. After all, the ranger promised Mom and I a pokemon-free vacation. Right?

None of my surroundings seemed very camp-y. _Did I wander too far?_ Though Mom did say that I couldn't leave the camp grounds without a guide. Right?

"Someone answer me!" I shouted.

A large round object rolled towards me. "Aaaahh!" I shouted, covering my head and ducking. The round Pokemon rolled past me and collided with the fence. I found myself sitting on the ground, failing to comprehend what I just witnessed. Then, from the sky, I saw a man in a blue uniform fall. I wanted to back up, get out of his way, but I couldn't make myself move. The round pokemon, with its weird rocky exterior and four arms, jumped over me, catching the man in plaid and landing on my other side.

The man gave his pokemon a thumbs-up. "I'm good, Graveler. Thanks for the catch." He stood up, brushing his uniform for dust. His face went to the sky. "Damn patroller. Are these guys so desperate that they'd try to kill the police?"

"P-police?" I stammered out. _What's going on? Are the police fighting criminals? But where are the criminals? Wait, why would anything like that be here?_

"Oh, is someone there?" The ranger, or policeman, glanced in my direction. "Don't worry. I know the rangers around here. I'll direct you to…wait." He turned around to face me completely. "Oh god, a kid? How did you get here? Are we in the safe area? How far did I fall?"

"We're about to find out, officer." A voice came from behind a large bird as it landed right in front of us. Riding the bird, I could see a man in a full body suit in entirely red. "You coppers get in the way of our plans, so we've got to get rid of you. Nothing personal. It's just business."

"When your business hurts civilians, it's terrorism! Stopping you is our job! Graveler, rock throw!" Graveler tossed rocks at the bird while police-ranger person typed something onto his phone, which he hid behind his back.

Noting the rocks made the red person jump to my left while the big bird felt the brunt. "Pidjaa!" it shouted before falling to its side.

"Return, Pidgeot." The man held up a red and white sphere, which emitted a red light that surrounded Pidgeot, and it disappeared. "Take him down, Milotic!" He pulled out another sphere. After throwing it, another pokemon came out from an emission of red light, and the ball boomeranged back to his hand. "Aurora beam at 2 o'clock!"

"Milooo!" The elegant creature shot a pure white beam. A cold air hit my cheek as the beam shot past my left side and towards the wire fence. The light cut through the fence where the doorknob had been. The door creaked as it opened outwards, just dangling there. This all played out in front of my non-moving eyes.

The man in red spandex pointed at me. "Next time, I won't miss. So, if you really want to protect civilians, leave us to our business."

The danger finally hit me, and I froze in place. _I'm going to die. There's pokemon on this turf. I'm alone. Mom isn't here. We didn't bring pokemon with us. What can I do against such power?_ "Ah…aaaaaaaaaah!" I screamed. Tears streamed down my face. "No! Everyone, go away! Leave me alone! Don't hurt me!"

"You bastard…" The cop glanced between me and the red person. I couldn't tell why he wasn't acting, or fighting, or running. Why just stand there?

For a moment, his face went blank. His right arm moved slightly. "Kid over there! You have pokeballs in your bag, right? Then send out your pokemon! I'll need you to fight too! I can't risk him taking you hostage!"

"W-what pokemon?" I looked up to see a blurry stand-off. "If you're a cop, why aren't you protecting me?

"So, you're resisting me, huh? Milotic!" The red man pointed toward me. "Aim for the brat's legs. A hostage is only useful when it's alive. Eh?"

As milotic prepped its mouth, I could only stare back at the incoming beam of white death.

WHAM!

A hard object hit the Milotic's body, and it fell over. When my senses came back, I saw a 4-legged lizard with armor standing on top of the collapsed Milotic, stomping repeatedly.

"Now!" the policeman shouted. I turned to face him. He pointed at the area of the fence that was once blocked. "Run to the cave nearby and get in the cart! I'll hold him here while you escape!"

"Wh-what?" I asked. "Where….how…"

He snapped his fingers. "Listen to me." I put my posture back together. "The cave entrance is just ahead. Find a cart. Loosen the hatches. He won't follow you. There's no time to explain further. Just go!" He turned back to the pokemon fight. "Lairon, use bulldoze!"

"Milotic, water pulse!"

The two pokemon struggled, but the water pulse pushed Lairon off. The policeman glared at me and gestured.

"G-got it!" I placed my backpack in my arms and ran outside the fenced area.

"Oh no you don't!" the red man shouted. On instinct, I looked back, and saw Lairon caught in Milotic's tail. "Use another aurora beam!" Light gathered in the Milotic's mouth. Preparing for the worst, I closed my eyes and covered my head.

"Graaah!" A strange shout got me to open my eyes. I saw Graveler intercept the blast. With part of his body iced over, he fell over. Though obviously hurt, he started throwing rocks with his upper arms while the bottom arms punched the ice off.

"Go!" police guy shouted. "I'm not letting a kid die!"

"S-sorry!" I nodded and ran away. Sounds of battle and screams occurred behind me. I didn't let any of it deter me.

Finally, out of breath, I arrived at the cave's entrance. I put one hand on the entrance. "Gasp, gasp, is he okay?" I turned around. The battle was still happening, but so far away that I could barely make it out. The Milotic seemed to have Lairon pinned. _Is the policeman going to win?_

A rumbling sound drowned out my doubts. I looked up and saw a torrent of rocks coming down the mountain. That Lairon had done it, for sure. _I guess the policeman must be desperate. Run!_

Scared of the death literally rolling towards me, I dashed into the cave. The scenery around me was pretty. Grey granite surrounded me on all sides of the cave. I ran forward, stepped on an uneven surface and fell onto my backpack. A lot of snaps followed. "Owww!" My knees had light scrapes, but the backpack absorbed most of the damage. "Stupid sticks!" I opened the front zipper and dumped out a lot of the branches that were now twigs.

After dumping sawdust from my backpack, I zipped it up and put it on my back. I walked forward, unable to move faster thanks to the pain in my knees. The more I walked, the darker everything got. I followed one of the walls, walking slowly yet assuredly.

Unfortunately, the path soon diverged. Two openings now stood before me. Looking down, I could see a few feet forward, but no further than that. I had to pick a path. The noise of the rock avalanche thundered outside. Whichever path I blindly chose, I couldn't risk turning around.

"Wait! I have a light!" I reached into my pocket and pulled out my cell phone. I flipped it open to my Wigglytuff wallpaper. The light shining from my phone cast a tiny bit of additional light to my surroundings. I looked at my left path and saw a wall at the end. To my right, I saw…something different. The vague image looked cube-ish, and stood out from the cave walls around it.

I dashed to the right, keeping myself steady with balancing arms. After a couple steps, I reached the object. I gave the object an inspection from top to bottom. An open space with the opening in the shape of a square, five wheels, a lever holding the cart in place, and a track leading downward. I breathed a sigh of relief. "I made it," I said to nobody. "Why 5 wheels?"

I crouched downward. What I first thought was a wheel turned out to be a sphere. I grabbed it, and since it wasn't attached to the cart, I picked it up. Red upper half, white lower half, and a circular button in the center. _It's a pokeball. Right, professional trainers keep pokemon in these._ I pushed the button, but nothing happened. Nothing was inside. But something seemed to be outside?

I glanced at the top of the pokeball, and noticed a clump taped to the top. It appeared to be paper covering what felt like a large pill.

An angry shout broke my concentration. "Damned crazy cop. Saving the kid with an actual god damn rock slide." The voice sounded like the red person. My hand put the pokeball and attached whatever into my backpack. I undid the lever and jumped into the cart.

I leaned forward, and the cart started moving. Slowly, at first, only to speed up intensely. My grip weakened, so I hunched into the cart's exterior. Fortunately, a handle had been built into the bottom. I held on. My face winced every time a bump caught me off guard.

A beeping sound came from my bag. I unzipped it, reached inside, and found my phone going off. "Time completed," it read.

"That's right!" I shouted. "I need to tell Mom!" I touched the phone's screen and switched to my contacts. "Gwah!" The cart's path entered a sudden decline. I fell backwards into the cart, causing the phone to slip from my hands and out of the cart. "No!" I shouted, reaching into the darkness, but afraid to loosen my other hand's grip on the handle. Any noise of the phone landing was drowned out by the deafening rattle of the cart.

For the ride's remainder, I sat still and held tightly to my lifeline. "Mom…" Each bump of the cart nulled my longing to reunite. I no longer wanted to escape this cart. I was, at the least, safer than the policeman…or my last line of connection to Mom.


	2. Chapter 2

The cart's rolling ceased and I didn't. "Gawahh!" I shouted, the jostle forcing my eyes open. I clutched the top of my head to contain whatever bruise had formed against the cart. "Ssstt!" I hissed as I peeked my head out of the cart.

The scenery around me moved my hands to over my eyes. Everything about this cave was so bright and... light blue. From the rocks to the ceilings to the stalactites, everything emitted this obnoxious blue shine, save the body of water a little ahead of me, which just reflected the glare. The uneven edges of the rocks didn't look pleasant to jump onto.

I threw my backpack just over the edge. Once I heard it hit the ground, I pushed myself out of the cart with shaking arms. I got up to stomach level and made my body like a plank, and then spun in 180 degrees so that my feet were outside the cart. I pushed my body outward and landed, feet first, onto my backpack. I winced at the pain in my knees, even though it only lasted a second.

Out of the cart, I looked back at the trail it followed. It was only darkness. Any bright color seemed to end at the cart, while I could barely make out the silhouette of the uphill trail shrouded in black. Wherever I dropped my phone, it wasn't worth facing darkness or the costume man. The cart itself rested against its supposed stopper. I noted a lever on my side of the cart. I poked it, prodded it, and even tried pulling it, but even though I could move it, nothing happened.

I reached into my backpack and pulled out the pokeball. I pressed the center button, but no Pokemon came out. I inspected it closer, only to note the balled-up piece of paper again. I pulled it off the pokeball, ripping the tape. Inside, apart from the text, was a flashdrive. I gripped it in one hand while reading the paper in the other. _Please use this pokeball to obtain the small green two-legged pokemon that approaches you. This USB drive contains basic information regarding pokemon combat._

I crumbled the paper in my hand. "Screw you!" I shouted to nobody. _Someone put in all this effort but still wants me to struggle?_ I carefully placed the flashdrive inside a small empty pocket of my backpack and zipped it up.

"Cah," I coughed. I touched the front of my neck. Thirst quenching was my top priority. I reached into my bag and pulled out my Nalgene. Unfortunately, I forgot to fill it at the spigot. With pokeball in left hand and empty water source in right, I walked on unsteady feet towards the lake. Finally, the lake just inches away, I bent down, put my pokeball and Nalgene on the ground, and stuck my face into the water. I stored some of the water in my cheeks. 5 seconds later, I removed my head from the water, leaned back and swallowed.

"Pbbt." I involuntarily stuck out my tongue at the taste. But fresh or not fresh, water is water. So, nothing stopping me, I scooped my Nalgene in the lake and brought the container to my lips. Semi-fresh water poured down my throat while I clenched my eyes shut.

Now hydrated, my feet began a more confident stride. My eyes looked forward for the way out. "Gawaah!"

My foot got caught on something round, and I fell over. Used to this pattern, I took a quick step forward before my palms contacted the smooth spots on the ground I aimed for. I turned around, still on four legs and not damaged, and took a glance at what I tripped over. It appeared to be a small rock that was mostly face and extended arms. Its big eyes glared at me. I sprang up and ran to what I hoped was the cave's exit. _Nothing's behind me_ , I kept telling myself while failing to drown out the rolling.

I ran into a bat. "Zuuu!" it croaked. The weird bat, called Zubat or something, turned around. All I could do was stare back into its nonexistent eyes. It, however, could fly straight at me. My survival instincts kicked in once I saw the teeth and I crouched down, barely missing its charge.

Sitting up, I stared back at the Zubat. It glanced left, then right, then…left again, and flew away. The momentary threat gone, I remembered how to breath and leaned forward, moving into a crouching position. I continued my prowess on hands and feet. _If anything's gonna get me, I'll see it first._ My hands formed a cat's paw in response to the surface.

My posture paid off. I noticed a cat-mouse hybrid with a lightning bolt tail, called Shinx by that nature documentary. My body tensed, ready to pounce or jump backwards. The Shinx walked towards me at a slow pace. Before I thought of moving, it stood a few inches away. It crouched down and started sniffing. Finally, it fell onto its back and started laughing.

"Aww," I let out. I stretched out one of my hands to pet it. Once my fingers approached its chin, the Shinx brought its head up and rubbed my hand. A shock coursed through my body. "Yah!" I shouted, jumping up. _Don't trust anything, no matter how adorable!_ I ran once again. I located a corner of the cave and sat down, front facing the only way forward. No matter what came for me, I'd notice.

I pulled out my Nalgene for a much-needed drink. Gulping the water down, something felt caught in my throat. A warm liquid streamed down my face as I blinked. _No, I'm a big girl. I can't break down from just a walk in a cave. Right?_ "Waaaaah!" I whimpered, hugging my Nalgene. At least that couldn't hurt me. Rocks with arms rolled past and Zubats flew by. I shut my eyes. _Why are these monsters attacking me? What did I do to them?_

A scratching sound jolted me up. A small greyish-green pokemon, with a horn on its head and two hoof-like legs, walked towards me. I looked to my left and right, but saw nothing. No place to run. This thing's rhombus-shaped eyes were directed on me, and I couldn't move. No, I didn't move while it closed the distance. Now, inches away, it stood at about my knee level. When it raised its arm, I knew size meant nothing. I shielded myself with the backpack.

The pokemon nodded. "Huh?" I responded. It pointed to its raised right arm. It lowered both hands and moved them around one another, yet never touching. Almost like it was molding dough into a sphere.

"Ah!" I shouted, remembering the note. _This pokemon is green, sort of, and it approached me._ I reached into my bag and pulled out the pokeball. I pointed at it, and the pokemon nodded while continuously moving its arms down. I lowered the pokeball as it instructed. Once at knee level, the green guy walked straight at the pokeball until the circle and its forehead made contact. It disappeared in a flash of red light.

I lifted the pokeball and inspected it. The top was still red, leaving no space to see inside. On the other white side, a display of text had appeared. The display read Larvitar's name, along with its 'OK' status, its types of 'rock' and 'ground', and experience pointed needed to level up. I touched it, and the display changed. This time, it displayed a blank slot for 'Item' and two moves, 'scratch' and 'leer'. Another touch gave a menu with five attributes; attack, defense, special attack, special defense, and speed, all with an associated number. Another push revealed a fourth screen describing the position of the sun and location when I met Larvitar, along with other content I didn't understand. Another push brought me back to the screen with its type.

I looked at the pokeball in my hand. With a trembling finger attached to a shakier arm, I pushed the center button. Another bright red light made me shut my eyes. My swayed from the sudden additional weight. When I pushed my head back up, I felt skin, though it had a more rock-like texture than my own. I opened my eyes to see an upside-down Larvitar staring back at me. "Waah!" I shouted, but couldn't jump back. Larvitar leaned back and jumped off my head, the impact pushing me onto the cave's wall. He, according to the arrow next to his level on the pokeball's screen, flipped through the air in an arc-like pattern and landed on its feet with arms outstretched. He turned back to me and smirked.

I plastered a grin on my face. "Nice?" I stated with a thumbs-up.

"Tar." He smirked while twisting his head forward. I walked towards him. _Does he want or not want praise,_ I wondered. I took another look at the pokeball's underbelly. The only message was a screen displaying its moves, 'pound' and 'leer'. I touched it, but nothing happened. I gave the center of the ball another push. Larvitar became red light and entered the ball.

I thought back to TV specials I'd seen a year or more ago with pokemon trainers battling. "I think I've got this," I told myself. Just do as they do and I'll be fine. I'll get out of this cave. No." I held the pokeball up high. "We'll get out of this cave!" With pokeball in hand, I walked forward with a confident gait.

A rolling sound came from behind me. I turned and saw another rock with arms, called a Geo-something, roll towards me. I held the pokeball towards it. "Go, Sir Larvitar!" I shouted while pushing the button with my finger. Larvitar emerged. He put both arms in front of himself and blocked the Geo, causing it to fall back. Larvitar looked to me, holding both arms out.

My eyes widen. "Oh. Me? No, I can't!" I hold my chest with both arms, but the shivering doesn't stop. Geo runs for another tackle, but Larvitar blocks it again.

Larvitar glanced at me. "Larrr!" he shouted.

"No!" I shouted. "I…I…" I gritted my teeth. _It's been a year, Brenda. Don't whine like it's a viable option._ "Ah-"

My mind left the scene and entered one year prior, the last time I saw that man. His face remained a blur with eyes and a mouth. He gave me that smile not matching his condescending gaze and extended his hand to me, like he always does. Until now, I'd never pieced together. "What's up, champ? You want another piggyback ride?"

"Uh-uh!" I shouted. "I saw you talking to Mom! She always looks hurt whenever you two have an argument! Are you hurting her?"

He laughed. "It's just, couple things, you know? Marriage is complicated. Mommy and Daddy are just working things out."

"Mom's always clutching some part of her body!" I shouted. "She always says it's fine! Do you also think it's fine that she's hurting? Are you hurting her?"

"That's…look, Brenda, we're just working things out." He wouldn't look me in the eyes.

I shook my head. "Answer the question! Are you hurting her?"

His eyes went stern. "Look, you can't talk to your father like this. Go to your room, and we can talk once you've calmed down."

"We're talking now." I reached into my pocket and pulled out a pokeball.

"W-what are you doing, kiddo?" he asked, panic inherent in his actions.

"Stop hurting Mommy." I touched the circle, and a large green pokemon with a diamond back and a spiked tail came out, towering over both of us. Its roar echoed through the house and shook two of the lights in this room. The large green scaled pokemon gritted its teeth while aiming its arms at that man.

"Ahaha." He slowly backed up. "You apologize and put him back, and we can pretend this never happened. Okay?"

I glared back at him. "Why should I?" I stepped backwards, holding my fist by my side and elbow parallel to it.

My mind returned to the cave. "Ahaha." I gleefully gripped the pokeball and stared at the…wait, that policeman had something similar, right? "Don't blame me, Graveler," I said. Our eyes met. It stopped. But only for a moment. _Larvitar's counting on you, Brenda. Be brave on your 10_ _th_ _birthday._

Just like a year ago, I punched the air in front of me and repeated the words I said to that man: "You've left me no other choice. I don't need to apologize."

"Larvitar, leer!" I commanded. Larvitar glared at Graveler. Its charge noticeably slowed. "Now, scratch!" Larvitar struck the Graveler. "Scratch again!" I continued to shout it and Larvitar complied, over and over, until it stopped moving.

With a smile on his face, Larvitar ran over. He held both arms and, while his head kept moving, his eyes locked onto me. My eyes, though, drew to the bruises on his stomach and arms.

"I…I'm sorry." I averted my gaze. "I took so long to give a command. And you were counting on me." I handed him the pokeball. "You take it. I'll just slow you down."

Larvitar shook his head, and pushed the pokeball back. He pointed at me, then at him, then flexed. He jumped twice, then beckoned me forward.

I let out a laugh. "Geez. It's like you're the trainer, you little tyrant." Larvitar smiled again, scratching twiddling his arm. "It's amazing how well you understand me," I continued. I put my finger on the button, but before pushing it, a thought struck. "Hey, Larvitar." He lowered his arms and made a stern face. "How about I give you a nickname? Larvitar is kind of like your species, not you."

I held my finger out. "You're the little tyrant in charge, so how about…Sir Tyrant?"

Sir Tyrant grinned and leaned forward. His arms tried to form a circle.

"You're right. Let's go." I pushed the button and Larvitar disappeared. For the first time today, I ran forward.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Sir Tyrant and I stood in front of a boulder twice my height. "Hnnng!" I pushed it with all my might, but it didn't budge. Tyrant gave it a shove, then a punch, then a kick, then another punch. Nothing worked.

"Drat." I collapsed onto my butt. The whole cave had a very clear cut path to the finish line. Any possible detours were dead-ends with items at their apex. I kept them all in my backpack. Any potions I did collect were now empty bottles, save the one Tyrant was drinking.

We sat at the cave's end, unable to move forward. It looked like some sort of path was beneath the immovable boulder. Sir Tyrant, sporting bruises from the plethora of pokemon he knocked unconscious, threw me his empty potion bottle. I added it to the collection, hoping to recycle them when we exited the cave.

Suddenly, Tyrant started sniffing around. "Tarr…" His eyes narrowed.

I walked over to him. "What's wrong, Sir Tyrant?"

He stood up and ran towards a walkway between two groups of rocks. I ran after him. Once I caught up, I saw him digging up the ground in front of one of the cave walls and eating the dirt. _Different strokes,_ I figured. I walked over to him and leaned over. "What-cha digging up?"

"Lrrr!" A growl came from beneath the dirt and a pokemon jumped up from it. It shook the dirt off itself, revealing another Larvitar. It looked over both of us with a frantic gaze. Tyrant raised both arms into a fighting stance. The wild Larvitar looked at Tyrant, pointed towards himself, and dug downwards. I stared at the path it traveled down and noticed a tiny crevice in the wall. It looked to be about a foot and a half wide. I couldn't fit in there. Tyrant looked at the hole, then at me.

I shrugged. "Go ahead. See what it wants." Tyrant complied and disappeared into the crevice.

I, meanwhile, bided my time staring at the ceiling. "All that fuss I made about being independent," I said to nobody, "and here I am expecting Sir Tyrant to come back. How funny."

I rummaged through my backpack and pulled out the flashdrive. _Why was this just sitting by the cart, anyway? Did someone expect me to get attacked and find it? Or was this intended for someone else, and the messenger dropped it?_

I pulled out a notepad and a pen. _Things to do after escaping_ , I titled the page. Step _1, Find a phone and call Mom. Step 2, Find a computer and upload what's on this flashdrive._

"LUURRRR!" A shout from my right made me lean left, barely dodging the foreign Larvitar. It ran horn first into the boulder. The boulder shifted slightly, then split into two pieces, each of which fell backwards. I walked towards the wreckage, and saw a passageway big enough to fit into. The Larvitar nodded and ran back the way we entered the cave.

Soon after, Tyrant appeared at my feet. He pointed at the new hole I hoped was the exit. "Nowhere else to go," I responded. I held up the pokeball. "You want a quick break?" Tyrant nodded.

I put him and the ball into my backpack and stared into the hole. What I saw resembled a water slide. The grey surface was smoothed-down rock that I couldn't climb up or down. I placed my backpack at the entrance and, while not letting go, I sat on it. I pulled the ground toward me with my legs, picking up too much speed. "Whaaaaaa!" I shouted as I slid down, only for my shoes to touch regular cave ground five seconds later.

Guarding my head, I exited the slide and observed my surroundings. From the randomly-placed rocks to the texture of the walls, I assumed I hadn't changed caves. "Hm?" A bit up ahead, I noticed a middle-aged man wearing a large round hat. "Another person!" I shouted. I ran towards the man facing me thanks to my shout.

He smiled as I closed the distance. "What ho, little lady?" he asked. His enormous backpack probably locked him in place.

I gripped both straps of my backpack. "H-hello. Nice to meet you. I-I'm Brenda." _Perfect. Did just like Mom said I should do when meeting a stranger._

"Name's Richard. I'm just another traveler on an eternal journey." He tipped his hat at me. "What's a lass like you doin' on your own?" He glanced behind me. "Seems where I'm going's where you've been. Props for getting out on your own."

I sighed. "I was…with my mom. Ah." My stomach let out a grumble. Right, I hadn't eaten dinner. _Wait, what time is it_?

The man put his giant backpack on the floor. He opened one of its many zippers and pulled out a bag of trail mix. "Want it? I know it ain't proper to take food from a stranger, but I can't in good conscious let a kid starve. Don't worry, I got plenty o' food."

I snatched the bag out of his hand and began wolfing down its contents. Even disgusting foods like peanuts tasted better than starvation. "Cough!" Some nuts got caught in my throat. I pounded the area around it.

"Take it easy, Brenda!" Richard held out his hands in front of me. "Unwise to eat too quick on an empty stomach! Need some water?"

I dropped the bag, grabbed my Nalgene and began chugging. The trail mix soon went down my throat. I sat down, and took a gasp. I looked down and gasped again. I'd spilled half the remaining trail mix onto the floor. "Ah." I picked the bag up and stuffed it into my shorts pocket. I looked over Richard's face while my empty mouth ate sour grapes.

He laughed. "No skin off my back. Ya probably need some real food, anyway." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a wallet. Grabbing five bills, he handed them to me. "Here's around 500 pokedollars. That should cover a real meal and a phone call to your mah. I'd lend you mine if I had the darn thing. But can't truly rough it while relying on a societal vice."

"I…uh…" My hand hovered over his. _Could I rob this nice person of food and money?_

"Don't worry your sweet little head over exchanging change pocket to pocket. It's more valuable to you than me, anywho. 'Sides:" His other hand gestured behind him. Sunlight shone from what appeared to be an exit. "Caper City's right outside."

"I…thanks." I grabbed the money and stored it in my wallet, which I zipped into one of my jacket pockets. "I'll pay this back, I swear," I said as I ran towards the exit.

"Like I just said, don't worry." He waved back. "We're both from the north. Someone's gotta look out for us round here."

I ran to the exit and stepped outside. What surrounded me was…snow. A snowy landscape surrounded me. In August. "Guess the cart took me pretty far," I said aloud. My geography teacher did mention once that Naljo had rather variable climate. Maybe weather paradigms were different in this region. I reached down, made a snowball, and tossed it in the air as I walked. _Why can't it snow all year round,_ I thought, denying my shivers.

What pleased me most, though, were the multitude of buildings around me. Past the tiny house in front of me, I saw a building labeled 'Pokemon Center'. Stepping through light snow atop grass, I reached the door and turned the handle.

What I saw inside surprised me. Most of the room was an empty tiled floor. There were a few cushions to my left and right. A nurse stood behind a counter next to a strange-looking machine. _This building's a center, right?_ Apart from the nurse, the two people wandering around made this place felt more like a hangout spot.

I walked to the cushions and sat down. "Gasp, gasp." I was finally sitting on something soft. A wave of relaxation washed over my body.

"Excuse me, miss?" A voice broke me from my trance. I identified the speaker as the nurse at the counter. "Are you here for a healing?"

"Hm?" I asked. "But I didn't make an appointment. I don't think I have enough money, either."

The nurse put her hand to her mouth. "There's no charge. The Elite Four fund our core services through taxes. Have you never been to a Pokemon Center before?"

"Is this sort of place common?" I asked.

"There's one in every town, miss." The nurse gestured to the machine. I swallowed nothing. "Would you like me to treat your pokemon? It'll just take a second."

"My Pokemon?" I let out my breath. "Sure, okay." I pulled out Tyrant and handed him to the nurse. She put the pokeball on the machine. It lit up, made a strange musical tone, then shut off again.

The nurse handed me the pokeball. "I'm Nurse Joanna. We hope to see you again."

"We?" I put Tyrant into my bag. "Thank you. I don't know if I'll come back any time soon, though. Wait, do you have a phone?"

"Of course." She pulled a corded phone out from beneath the machine. "What is the number of your party?"

"I can't make the call myself?" I asked.

"It's just protocol."

I pouted. "Then why can't you call sooner?"

"Egh." Joanna scratched her eyebrows with her thumb and index finger. "Protocol, like rules. Just tell me the number already."

I gave her Mom's number while ignoring Joanna's personality shift. Joanna typed in the number and pressed the speaker button. The phone emitted a rising pitch. "The number you are dialing is in a location that cannot be reached by the current level of service on this line. To make this call, please call the following number to upgrade your service. 7-3-"

Joanna hung up. "Sorry, kid. Boss wouldn't approve of such a purchase even if he wasn't off this week."

"What?" I slammed both arms on the table. "How am I supposed to contact Mom?"

"Ehhh…" Joanna rested her head on her neck. "Your best bet's the professor's lab. I'm pretty sure he's the only one with the technology to call as far as you need to."

"What?" I repeated. "But… I need to go home! I'm separated from my parents! How am I going to live?"

Joanna shrugged. "From what I've heard about the north, you're probably better off away from them."

"How could you?" I shouted.

This failure of a nurse held up her hands. "My job's to heal Pokemon. You want another task, find another person. And he's just around the block. First and only large building on the left. You can't miss it."

"Tch." I gritted my teeth. "Thanks for the help. We hope to never see you again too." I slung my backpack over my shoulders and slammed the door on my way out.

As my feet crushed the snow beneath me, I glanced around Caper City. To my right was a body of water. I couldn't make out a shallow part or fish pokemon. A path behind me, on the Center's left side, led into some large meadow in dire need of mowing. The long grass rustled infrequently.

I stepped over a ledge on my warpath to this professor. Just a few minutes and I'd already met the two extremes of hospitality. Were all Centers run by vindictive women like her? I put the notion in my mind's backburner and knocked on the door. "Hello?" I shouted.

"Open!" a male voice shouted. I stepped back. I put my hand on the door handle, turned it left, and pulled. What greeted me was a wall, grey flooring, and some bookcases. The books were disorganized and in all sorts of positions, likely from guests not putting these 'Literature for the Intellectually Inferior' in the right locations. "Inviting title, Professor," I remarked. _Speaking of, where is he if he's letting me in?_

"God damn archaic text binding!" he shouted. I followed the voice around the corner at my left. I followed the mumbling along the wall until I found an opening. The room to my right stood out from the rest of the lab. In addition to the pink-diamond floor pattern, the left side of the room contained a computer, a set of bookshelves, and a bed. The computer screen was currently showing a research paper with the word 'myth' in the title. _Right, I never plugged the flashdrive into the Center's computer! Could I have used it? Well, first things first._ I scratched my head and walked forward.

Standing in from of these neat and alphabetized bookshelves was a man in a lab coat and glasses. He appeared to be tearing a book up with minimal or no results. This struggle continued for about a minute. He placed the book on his desk, right next to his computer, and leaned on the wood closest to him. "Scientists…shouldn't have to…do menial labor." He glanced left while catching his breath, and noticed me trying not to stare back. "Whoa!" He jumped up. "When did you get in my home?"

I shielded myself with both arms. "You, uh, told me to come in?" _He lives in here?_ I sniffed around.

"But I've been…" He stopped and scratched his mostly shaven head. "Well, this discussion is pointless if you're already inside. What brings you here, miss…what is your name? I don't believe we've met before."

"Me neither." I dropped both hands. "My name is Brenda. You're the professor, right?"

"Professor Ilk, to be exact!" He smiled and pounded his chest. "Leading Pokemon researcher in the region! You got an inquiry, I'll be happy to answer it!"

"Great!" I clasped my hands together to show enthusiasm for his work I didn't have. "Well, um, do you have a phone I could use? The, uh, nice lady at the pokemon center said yours could reach long distances. And I need to contact someone really far away."

"Ah, you don't have a phone on you, Brenda?" He put his finger to his bottom lip. "I'd thought kids your age spent all their time on phone apps. Rather counterproductive, if you ask me."

 _Make your request clear._ I took a breath. "You do have a phone that makes long-distance calls. Right, Mist, er, Professor Ilk? My Mom's really worried about me. Probably. I don't know. You can help, right? Right?" I found myself much closer to him than I was at the conversation's introduction.

Ilk pointed to the chair in front of the computer. "It sounds like you've had a rough day. Sit down, and I'll get you some tea."

I shook my head. "B-but I need to make the call right now!"

"The phone's by my computer. It'll access any region that could be interested in my findings. So, basically, anywhere. Push the bottom right button after typing the full number. Speaking of which." He walked over to the computer and pushed a button on the keyboard. Once the screen went black, he pulled the corded phone from its resting place and pointed at the buttons. "Please make your call. I'll serve you some team or whatever chilled beverage calms you afterwards." He smirked. "I don't know how much you saw, but I'd say we both need some chilling. Ugh."

Pointing the back of his head at me, he headed towards a door a bit right of his bed. I, meanwhile, grabbed the phone and typed Mom's number. To my elation, I heard a ring. Then another ring. _I was getting through._ Then another ring. _Did Mom drop her phone?_ Then another ring. _No, she'd probably be checking it constantly if I went missing._ Then another ring. _Please answer!_

Then, voicemail. "Hey, yall, Mrs. Viridian here. Leave a name and a number, and I'll return your call when I'm able. Beepers!" The phone beeped. I had to give voicemail.

"Mom, it's me, Brenda!" I shouted. "I got really far from the campsite after some stranger in a red suit tried to kidnap me! I took a cart through this cave and now I'm in Caper City at a Professor Ilk's lab! Please pick me up! Please! I'm, uh, I don't know the number, but it should show up on caller ID, right? I'm scared! Mom, please come quickly!" I slammed the phone into its resting spot and hugged my knees. "Ah, aah."

"Careful with my technology, Brenda." Ilk came out holding two brown beverages in large styrofoam cups, each containing ice. "I had some iced tea in the fridge. Though, if you'd prefer something hot, I could make you coffee."

"Aaaaaaaah!" My tears poured out.

Ilk walked closer to me. "You alright, Brenda? I don't have a couch, but I have another chair. And a pillow. I'm sorry, I don't usually expect guests."

I grabbed one of the glasses and gulped it down.

"Whoa!" Ilk shouted. "Not so close to the computer!"

I stopped drinking. "I-I'm s-s-sorry!" I stammered out, spitting some tea onto the floor. I put the cup back onto the tray and gripped my forehead. "All I wanted was to be independent! Why can I do nothing except make other people and pokemon's lives worse? Why couldn't I just listen like a good girl?" I let out a whimper. "Aaaaaahagh!"

Professor Ilk stared back at me for a moment. He put the tray on the counter, right next to the book he was struggling with, and pulled a chair next to me. He sat down, arms crossed and face concerned. "Sounds like you've had a rough day. I'm no psychology professor, but I can at least hear you out. That sound good?"

I stopped moan for a moment to meet his gaze. "Thank you." I swallowed the lump in my throat. "It means a lot."


	4. Chapter 4

"Then I wandered into your lab, and, well, you know the rest. Sigh." Midway through the story, the tears had stopped flowing. I now found my head leaning on his left shoulder. Not once did he ever interrupt or unfold his arms to pat my head like Dad used to. At odd points of the story, he changed his expression from his usual compassionate gaze. "Sorry." I sat up and leaned backwards, staring at the ceiling's depiction of a metal tiger fighting a wispy karate-practicing pokemon.

Ilk let out a cough-laugh mixture. "Wow. You've been through quite a lot after that camping trip." He walked over to one of his tables, picked up the tray, and brought me my cup of iced tea. "Moisten your throat?"

"Thanks." I grabbed the cup and took a quick sip. I put it on the ground. "And thanks for this. I feel a lot better getting it all off my chest."

He turned to me. "Just know that you're not wrong for wanting independence. It's a normal and positive step for a girl your age. You made the best of the circumstances forced onto you. Don't blame yourself for your only choice."

"My…only choice." I stared at my palm.

Ilk stood up. "If you're feeling better, you wouldn't mind if I asked you a few questions, right?"

I wiped my eyes on my arm. "I suppose. What about?"

"You mentioned a Larvitar in your possession. Would you let him out?"

"No problem." I pulled the ball out of my bag and pushed the button. "Lar!" Tyrant said, assuming a pose after the light surrounding him dissipated. He looked up at Professor Ilk and blinked. "Laaaaaarr?"

"Like I thought." Ilk's expression didn't change. "This Larvitar is mine. He helps me with little tasks around the laboratory. I've kept it in my care ever since the pokemon champion gave me the egg he birthed from. He usually kept close to the lab, so I didn't enforce a curfew. Seems like he ran quite a distance this time."

"That would explain how he knew that cave so well," I responded. "Would you like him back?"

Tyrant turned to me and shook his head. Professor Ilk did the same. "You can keep him. Sir Tyrant, as you called him, seems happier with you."

I crouched down and pointed to myself. "You alright with me, Sir Tyrant?"

"Taar!" Tyrant extended his fist.

"You too, partner." I extended my hand and shook his. "Huh?"

Foreign thoughts entered my head. _"You have to fight alongside her, bro," big bro Larven said to me. "It'll help both of you realize your untapped strength."_ _I beat my chest. "You can count on me," I replied. "The world won't know we've hit them until they've fainted."_

I removed my hand. "What was that? Did I just see…Sir Tyrant's memories?"

"Larv." Tyrant fidgeted his arms together.

"How strange," Ilk commented. "Mind reading triggered by contact. Have you always been able to do this?"

"Uh uh!" I furiously shook my head. "Do you get it?"

"Of course not. I study pokemon, not people." He looked me over. "Let's assume you're not funning me. I don't suppose you've never come in contact with other pokemon before, am I correct?"

"I-I've touched pokemon before. That's what you mean, right? Some attacked me in the cave." I showed my left palm. "I tripped on a rock with arms and fell on my hands."

We both couldn't find words to say for a while. "I'm rather curious about this phenomenon," Ilk commented, "but you're not my test subject, you're my guest. I'd rather tinker with machines than living things. Speaking of, you mentioned a flashdrive in your story. May I see it?"

I pulled out the storage unit and handed it over with no hesitation. "You'll figure out what's on this thing, right?"

He smiled. "You can rely on a scientist."

He uncapped the flashdrive and stuck it into his monitor. He pushed a few buttons on the keyboard, causing a finder window to appear atop the desktop. The top of the folder read 'Pallegorical' with five yellow folders on the window. "Newcomers' Guide, Legendary Pokemon Myths vs Facts, Persons & Places of note, Bases of Operation, Targets Past and Future," I read aloud.

"Indeed," Ilk agreed. "This is either a prank, an imaginative kid's naming sense, or a golden ticket to capturing the Pallet Patrollers. Regardless, I think it best we don't let this information leave the room. Can you promise me?"

"I promise," I said. _It's my basic courtesy to do what he asks._ "Who are these Patroller guys?"

"Right, you're visiting Naljo." Ilk continued this conversation while inspecting the contents of 'Newcomers' Guide'. "Not much is known about them. They do a mix of good and non-sequitur deeds for the public. All people know of is their results and the costumes they wear. I believe you encountered one the other day."

"Right." The man in the red costume flashed through my head. "He tried to kidnap me."

Ilk shook his head. "That's not their MO. Usually, vandalism or petty theft is the worst they'll do. Little is known about them because they do little. I wonder if there was a trigger for your potential kidnapping."

A buzzing sound came from somewhere out of my sight. "What was that?" I asked. "Did your stove go off?"

"No, that's my printer." He walked over to one of the bookshelves, where the printer apparently was. "I need a new everything." The two of us stared at the printer as is continued its methodical grind.

Two or twenty minutes later, Ilk handed me a stapled bunch of papers. "What's this?" I asked.

"A guide to pokemon basics," Ilk responded. "It's the most recent version of every pokemon in alphabetical order, along with their types and how types balance off each other. Some are super-effective against others, some are ineffective or have no effect. Knowing type balance is key. There's also an appendix in the back for moves Pokemon can use. I didn't see a section for battling, but that's something you learn through experience."

My eyes drooped at the first sentence. I sprang them back up. "How come you're giving this to me?"

"I'm glad you asked. I have a little errand I'd like you to run."

"Huh? But, me, you, what?" My hands and words went all over the place.

"Don't worry. I'll be at my desk doing research on the flashdrive's contents, and I'll call your mother at regular intervals if she doesn't call back. Plus, getting some exercise will help you feel better. Your destination isn't too far away. I'll relay everything important from this flashdrive once you get back."

I stood agape. "No, but, why me? Don't you know someone more reliable?"

"Nope." Ilk laughed while holding his neck. "Truth is, I'm not too popular myself. Any who interact with me are on about business or yawning. You're the first person in years to talk to me about something not work-related. And you're plenty reliable."

"Me? Reliable?" Tyrant gave a light jab to my right calf. "Ah!"

Ilk stared in awe. "Larvitar's telling you to break a leg. You made it to my lab, right? You can go anywhere you set your mind to."

"Hm." I looked down at Tyrant. He pumped his fist at me. "Yeah." I shifted my gaze to Ilk. "I'll go. Think of this as my payment for the tea."

"I'll be repaid if you can believe in yourself, Brenda." He waved at me and went back to his research.

"So where am I going?" I asked.

Ilk stopped typing for a moment. "Confound it, I forgot to bring that up. No wonder no one asks me to present my findings." He picked up the chair while sitting in it and turned around. "Do you have a pad and paper?"

I nodded. "But I can remember this. But it's just a simple task, right? I can totally do simple tasks."

"Glad to hear it." He laughed softly. "My older brother lives up north, on Route 69. If you find the raised land, you can't miss his house. He hasn't answered my calls for a few days. He's probably just slacking off, but he's family. I have to worry."

"I guess-no, I'll definitely go," I replied. "But what if he is in danger? What can I do?"

"That's why Larvitar's with you. Together, you can bust open any jar of jam." He turned back to his computer screen and didn't comment further.

Sir tyrant shadow-boxed with the air. I nodded. "I'm glad you believe in both of us," I told Ilk. "I won't let you down. Let's go, Sir Tyrant!" I ran out of the lab with Sir Tyrant hot on my tail.

One quick walk later, I found myself on the beaten path. I looked back into the city I just left the confines of. I looked ahead and saw moderately thick grass covered by a light layer of snow. The rustles in the grass came much more frequently than the wind. "Wild pokemon," I said to the balled Tyrant. "No doubt we're going to fight a lot more than in the cave. Think you can do it?" He didn't respond. Not like I could've seen it.

But I walked forward. "I'm independent and reliable," I told myself once for each step I made through the grass. My shoes needed a tug here and there to loosen themselves from the strains of grass. I shook my foot upon raising it, and continued my next step toward the poke ball shaped chest in-"Whah?" I stepped on…feathers.

"Pidgoo!" The wild Pidgey, according to that guide, flew up past me and turned around. Our eyes met. Its eyebrows narrowed. It charged beak first.

"Sir Tyrant!" I released Tyrant. He stood strong. "Use scratch!" He jumped in the air and smacked Pidgey, inches from me, to the ground. "Leer before it flies up!" Pidgey cowered from the glare. Then, it blew and created a gust of wind.

"Laarr!" Sir Tyrant held its fists up as the tiny hurricane lifted him just above the ground.

"This gust is nothing!" I shouted. "Use pound!" Sir Tyrant charged forward and bashed Pidgey on the head. The bird teetered for a moment, then fell over.

A blue bar beneath Tyrant's pokeball pokeball spiraled forward. "Bababa-beep!" The number right of Sir Tyrant's name changed from 6 to 7. Another screen showed up, expressing attack, defense, special attack, special defense and speed. Based on health points going up to 24, I assumed one or more of these stats increased as well.

"Awesome! You got stronger, Sir Tyrant!" I bent over and raised my hand. Tyrant ran over and punched it. "Sst," I said, putting all my energy into hand not retreating.

 _"Amazing as always, Master,"_ Tyrant thought. _"Why do you humans have this innate knowledge of what move works best for a situation? And why does it work better than punching until the enemy goes down?"_

"It's just basic knowledge of types," I responded. "Guess it's not something pokemon understand. Wait, this again? Ow!"

My hand retreated and I clutched it. "Do you get how I'm reading your mind?" I asked while the pain faded.

Sir Tyrant shrugged. His right arm pointed upward.

"And it stopped again." I walked over to the unconscious Pidgey and poked it.

 _"…"_

It rustled slightly. I jumped back. "Nothing there," I commented. I glanced toward Tyrant. "Think it's unique to you?" Tyrant rolled forward and made a pose. "That aside, I've barely talked to pokemon, let alone had conversations with them like with you." I headed towards the pokeball chest and pushed the center button. Inside was an antidote.


	5. Chapter 5

Bottle for curing poison stuffed into my bag and upside-down orange bug with pincers by my left foot, known as Paras, I stood face to face with another cave's entrance. Further to my left, the light snow-covered path continued.

I reached into my bag, pulled out Ilk's flip phone, and typed in his number. I put the screen side to my ear as I listened to it ring. "I'm sorry, whoever you are," he responded, "but if this isn't an emergency, can you call me back in a few hours? I'm expecting an important call and I need my line free."

"Oh, was this a bad time?" I asked.

"Ah, Brenda? No, no, no." I heard some static, probably from his head shaking. "The call I'm waiting for is the one from your mother. If you have a concern, please contact me with that phone. It's why I gave it to you."

I pursed my finger on my lips. "Thinking back, are you sure you don't need this? What if someone else calls you on it?"

"Don't worry about it," Ilk reassured me. "The phone is mostly for calling out. It's got terrible service. I just bought it in case I needed to leave the lab. Turns out I don't. Probably doesn't say much good about me. Heheh." His forced laughter sounded static-y through the phone.

"Huh," I blurted out. "You're quite the hermit." _My god, Brenda._

"It's what I agreed to when I sold my soul to Giratina." A more genuine laugh resounded through the speaker. Many likened Giratina, pokemon ruler of an alternate dimension, to Satan. I never saw that dimension as hell, but different strokes for different folks. "Oh, right," he continued. "That's an inside joke a fossil reviver told me and my brother after we saw a group of Varaneous evangelists. May the kook one day find a method to reanimate his own ancient bones."

I nodded. "Yeah, I agree." _Teachers don't like repeating themselves, and professors are sort of teachers, right?_

"So, why'd you call me?" Ilk asked.

"I'm at this cave," I said while putting my hand on its wall. "You didn't mention a cave. I should take the walkway on the left, right?"

"Don't go through the cave," Ilk told me. "It's the transition between Naljo and Rijon. I don't think you're looking for solo foreign travel this soon, are you?"

"Right, got it." I stood at attention, then relaxed myself. "Then I'll take the left path."

"Mm-hm. Sorry if I wasn't clear before." The static whatever seemed to stop. "Further along the walkway, you'll encounter a border check. Once you exit the building, take a left and you'll find the risen land Darren built his house on. Anything else I should clarify?"

I shook my head. "I think I'm good. I won't use up any more of your minutes for stupid things, I swear."

"I gave you that phone for emergencies," he reassured me. "If you feel the need, don't fear calling me for any reason you deem important. Anyway, I'll get back to deciphering the gobbledygook on the disk." The static returned. Though, upon a closer listen, it sounded more like clicking. "See you soon!" The phone buzzed as he hung up.

I clenched my fist while my other hand put the phone back into my backpack. "I can do this," I told myself again. "I'm awesome."

I took one step left and stopped. My eyes focused on the cave. They then went back the path, then back to the cave. "Just a quick look inside," I told myself. "No more, no less."

I took a step inside the cave. Unlike the one I rode the cart into, this one had no discernible features. It was less of a cave and more of a large tunnel. The sunlight allowed me to get a light grasp on the entrance. Many pokemon wandered around the cave. I identified a Machop, a fighting pokemon that resembled an athletic 7 year old, pounding its fists against the wall, but barely making any sound. Geodudes, the moving rocks with arms, rolled around the floor. Zubats croaked after collision with the cave. One flew around in an upward spiral until it banged against the ceiling.

"Pffft," I laughed. Unlike the punching or head slamming, this noise echoed throughout the cavern. All Pokemon eyes focused on me. "Yee!" I dashed outside to the path.

I quickly made it to a one story building a couple of steps along the walkway. My legs started moving and my lack of oxygen hit me as I leaned on the wall. I glanced behind me. _None of them followed me,_ I remarked. _But I clearly irritated them. Was it not that much? Or…_ I glanced at a nearby patch of grass. Another Pidgey flew in a circle while never taking its eyes off me.

 _Maybe it's location,_ I realized. _Pokemon are just not comfortable leaving where they live. But if that's the case, what does that make me with Sir Tyrant? What does that make all trainers? How do they feel, getting taken from their homes after an external force makes them get all defensive? Can I justify taking Sir Tyrant from his home?_ "Ah," I said. _Would his home be Professor Ilk's lab? But that other Larvitar was apparently his brother._

I released Tyrant from his pokeball. I raised my right arm. He followed suit with his left arm. "Gotcha!" I shouted and rubbed his head. He smiled and…friendly-growled. "How do you feel being separated from your home?" I asked. "Is traveling with me unnatural?"

 _"Ah, that feels good,"_ Larvitar thought. _"It's worth the struggle to know master cares."_ He opened his eyes and saw me grinning. _"Oh. Hmph. I suppose I'll let you pet me. Be grateful I'm –"_ His thoughts cut off when I lifted my hand off of him, recoiling from the light scrapes on my fingers. Why is rock skin so hard, anyway? I gritted my teeth and put my hand back. _"Stone cold rocker, gonna fight till there's no survivors. What, again, Master? That's not nice!"_

"But I didn't react that time," I replied, if one can reply to thoughts. "How'd you know?"

 _"There's a feeling behind my ear."_ Sir Tyrant pointed up. " _It twinges when you're infecting me."_

"Infecting?" My hand retreated to my gaping mouth. "Am I hurting you?" Sir Tyrant scratched his side. "Right, contact for mind reading." I reached forward, but pulled back right away. "I'm invading your privacy and possibly hurting you, Sir Tyrant. I shouldn't stress test it."

Sir Tyrant gazed down wards. He closed his eyes, then looked up and pounded his chest. _Never knew Pokemon cared as much about impressions as people,_ I wondered. _At least his need to impress didn't endanger his life._

"Anyway, I mean what I asked," I told Sir Tyrant. "I want to know how you feel about not being in your home. But neither of us want me to grill you for an answer." I held up his poke ball. "Care for a walking break?" I took whatever gesture he made next as yes.

Ball in one hand and door handle in the other, I twisted and pulled. "Hm," I muttered aloud as I stared at the poke ball. _It'd be the easiest thing to ask Sir Tyrant these questions again. But what if I'm really hurting him? I'll hold off until professor Ilk can give me a straight answer. Not that I could let him go until –_

"Halt, citizen."

My forward motion stopped. An odd pressure pushed lightly on my forehead. I looked up to see an outstretched arm blocking my stride. I looked past the arm to see a plaid straightjacket being worn by a border patrolman. _When did he get in here?_ "Whoa!" After realizing I was falling, my butt colliding with the marble floor. Tyrant's ball fell out of my hand. I glared up at the assaulter, his hat blocking his eyes. "What's the deal, jerk?" I snapped.

His body jostled. "Oh, I'm so sorry, m-miss!" the inspector stammered out. "I didn't mean to push, I mean, I thought you would stop. Oh god, I've become the cop I swore to differentiate from!" Head grasped in his hand, he repeated 'Oh god' over and over.

I raised my hand. "Uh, I'm not bleeding. I just fell over. It's fine."

The cop lifted his head from his hands. "Phew," he sighed. "She doesn't hate me." He shook his head and regained his original posture. "I mean, good to hear, miss. Do you need a hand getting up?"

I glanced at the hand, then it's owner, whose eyes somehow remained hidden. "I can get up myself, but it's nice of you to offer."

"Yes! I'm nice! I'm good at greeting people!" He grabbed my outstretched hand and pulled me up. My feet momentarily lost the ground. My heart returned once I touched the floor and he let go. I shook my wrist, which alleviated some of the pain from his tight grasp.

"Now, answer my question," he demanded. "I mean, would you please answer my question? Sorry, I hope that wasn't too harsh. First time positioned at a border."

 _It shows,_ I didn't say. "I'm in a bit of a hurry. If it's just one question, then maybe."

"Great!" He clapped his hands. "I just need to know your business past here."

"That's why you stopped me?" I asked, eyebrow raised.

"Sorry to inconvenience you," he replied. "Just under an hour ago, another cop reported a kid with red hair and a white headband run past his station without a bag check. He ran after the kid, but got overwhelmed."

"This regul-" Hiker Richard's words flashed through my mind, along with Nurse Whatever-name. _Would this plaid guy's demeanor go south if I told him I wasn't from Naljo?_ "There's a lot of criminals around Naljo, huh," I replied. "How did a kid get past him? He have weak pokemon?"

"He never got the chance," plaid guy replied. "Doug 2 said he got his pokeballs stolen. Kid apparently nabbed them and threw them into the river. I'm Doug 1, by the way."

"And he couldn't run after the punk?" I asked.

Doug folded his arms and gritted his teeth. "I got the call from his substitute. Doug 2's currently nursing a ram to the kidneys."

"Oh." I glanced down. "Sorry to sound insensitive."

"No worries. It's all in the line of business. Ha. Ha." I heard disjointedness in his laughs. "But I digress. What brings you out of Caper City, little miss?"

"I'm doing an errand for Professor Ilk," I replied. "His brother should be just past this station."

"Good to hear." Doug pulled a baton looking object and ran it up and down my body. "Alright, you're good. Good luck with your errand."

"Thanks," I smiled back. "Where did this attack occur, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Doug 2's post is at Heath Village. A couple clicks north of the raised house just north of here."

"That close?" I asked. "What if that criminal's in the area?"

"I wouldn't worry," Doug replied. "The only way up the raised platform is a stairway on this side. And the only way around is blocked by a regenerating plant. Damn nuisances sprout at random places, take specific methods to cut down, then grow back almost immediately afterwards. I'd have crossed the area if I could've." He stared at his clenched fist. "There for you, Doug 2."

"Right. Well, if you're sure, I'll trust your judgment." I dashed towards the door. _Darren, I think that's the brother's name, isn't in danger, right? I can trust this novice cop, right? I can't afford to waste time._ I pushed the door with all my strength and ran out.

"Wait!" Doug replied, holding the door open.

I focused my glare 180 degrees behind me, towards him. "What?" I asked.

"If you're in a hurry, I suggest you power walk." He enacted some weird march slash skip, yet caught up to me before I could blink. "It's faster than walking and less energy than all out dashing. You'll get where you need to faster and not be out of breath." He sped to the counter, picked up a folded piece of paper, and handed it to me. "Here's a map, in case you get lost again. Sorry if I'm annoying you again. I just want to help."

I took the map from his hands. "Thank you." I curtsied by bending both my knees, then attempted this odd style of walking. Each stride felt weightless, but with purpose. I turned around and gave him a smiling goodbye. He mirrored my face and waved back.


	6. Chapter 6

I stood in front of the handmade stairway leading up to the raised platform. I put one leg on the first step, taking one second for each kilogram I put onto that foot. I stepped forward, one gradual foot at a time, until I reached the top.

I clutched my thighs. "That's a workout," I said aloud. Yet, this was the first time I needed to catch my breath since the border check. _I need to use this speed walking method more often. It'll make travel time much shorter. And easier._

My feet carried me to a small house. The one-story cabin stood alone in the middle of this raised platform. On the right, I made out the tips of many tall trees. Everything else in my view appeared to be patches of long grass, all of which was so far down that if I jumped, my legs would somehow experience more pain. Self-reminders of the ground being sturdy propelled me to Darren's house.

"I'm Brenda and it's nice to meet you," I told myself. "Ilk sent me here to check on you. No." I shook my head. "I'm Brenda. Ilk sent me to check on you. You okay, man? Too casual." I looked to the sky for answers. "Brenda. Ilk sends his regards? You doin' a-ight?"

CRASH!

"Huh?" I heard glass shatter from inside the house. I put my ear to the door and heard voices. One sounded angry, the other hesitant. Only disjointed words reached my ears. I tiptoed towards a nearby window and peeked inside. The glass pane felt cool on my forehead.

A boy with red hair appeared to stand above someone, yet this other person lay just outside of the window's range. His black gloved hand gestured to a table. His pokemon, a Bagon, with a short yet lean body and head bumps akin to a braided hairstyle, bumped its braids into who I could only guess was Ilk's brother. "Sst, haa, haa," the hidden figure gasped. My eyes darted right, noting a table of broken glass, then left, to the boy.

His left side to me, he sneered at Darren, probably, and opened his palm. "This is your last chance. Give me the orb. You're only still alive because I'm not bloodthirsty like my sponsors. Hm?" His smile faded and his eyes darted in my direction. I noted the window slightly open from me accidentally pushing it.

"For the last time, I don't have the orb!" Darren, fair to assume, replied. "Even if I did, Varaneous would cause much worse damage than a conceited brat or group of headstrong terrorists ever could!"

Someone said this while I sat down, head in my arms and trembles in my everything. _Ilk's brother's really in danger! I need to help him! But that guy with the red hair, and his Bagon! He immobilized a police officer! If I step in, I'll die! But then Darren will die either way! What do I do? What can I do?_ All my motor functions switched off as I switched off the world.

CRASH!

The loud noise dragged my soul back into my body. I dodged to the side while the Bagon kicked through the window. I shielded myself from shrapnel with my backpack. Bagon turned towards me. "Gonn," it snarled.

"Easy, new guy," the red-haired boy exclaimed when he opened the door. "That's no way to treat a girl. You have to use tact." He walked over to me. "What brings you here, little miss eavesdropper?"

"Ah…" I couldn't form any words as I took in my situation. This red spiky-haired kid smiled. Below his hair kept up with a white headband, he wore an auburn jacket with a white zipper line and white cuffs, along with white pants that had a red spiral starting at his left thigh and circling around his legs twice until it reached his right heel. This and his other foot were covered by brown loafers, both of which brushed the ground as he walked towards me. Nothing about his appearance told me how I could escape him, yet much like a catastrophe, I couldn't look away.

He put a finger just above his chin. "If I had to guess, you're a victim of circumstance. You saw me, but were conflicted about whether you should play hero or run away." He clenched his fist and furrowed his brow. "How stupid. You can't worry about others before getting yourself out of harm's way."

 _Why was he suddenly angrier?_ No other thoughts permeated my brain while I hugged my backpack.

"Hm." Looking annoyed, the red-haired boy took his measure of me. "Brats only learn through consequences. So why don't I make things easy?" He grasped the backpack. "Give me all your belongings and I'll let you run away. Sound fair?"

"Ehh? Why?" I somehow retained enough English to talk.

He shrugged. "I'm not merciless. Witnesses don't knowingly harm others. Plus, my face on a wanted poster sounds pretty dope. Unfortunately, society doesn't look well on criminals. I'll need your resources along with any evidence that could harm me in the future."

He let go of my bag and lifted an invisible boulder with his arms. "I don't mind a witness or two. Only living people can spread legends. Count yourself lucky you caught the great Crimson auditioning before he made it to the main stage." He cracked his knuckles. "I can retract that luck if you don't let go."

Feeling returned to my mouth. "You s-sick bastard. W-why would you take pride in hurting people?"

Crimson, apparently, shook his finger. "I'm the one with power here." He pointed at himself. "I ask the questions. I call the shots." He made a peace sign. "Victims like you have two choices: obey me or get hurt." He pulled at the bag, but I didn't let go. "Don't make me choose for you!" I played unintentional tug of war with him.

With one final tug, the bag slipped from my fingers. "No!" I shouted as I grasped at air.

He peeked inside the bag's back section. "Probably junk. I'll make sure later. For now…" He zipped the bag up and strung it on his forearm. "Stand up and empty your pockets. No calling the police, _got it_?" He spat out those last two words, despite unknowingly holding my phone.

I slowly brought myself to my feet. _Ilk wanted me to affirm Darren was okay. And he's not okay. This menace has no problem hurting others. If I run, he'll cause more pain. To Ilk's brother, to other policemen, and to me. It hurts, and it will hurt. I had a great chance to stop him and did nothing but surrender and run._

I reached for my pockets. _I was given a task. I've completed it. I don't need to save Darren. He's not in lethal danger, probably. Running away is also independence in a way. I'm choosing to help people I can save over those I can't. Like myself. Like my ugly, weak, dependent self._

I stuck my hand into my left pocket and tossed the remains of Richard's bag of trail mix onto the ground. Faces formed in my head. _'Someone's gotta look out for us round here', Richard had said. 'You want another task, find another person,' the mean nurse had told me. 'You made the best of circumstances forced upon you,' Ilk had reassured me. 'Sorry if I'm annoying you again, I just wanted to help,' Doug had lamented._

"You have five seconds." Crimson dropped my bag onto the ground and pulled out a pocketknife from his jacket. He flicked something that made the blade switch up. "Show me what's in your other pocket. Please." His eyes shied away from mine and the pocketknife hand trembled. "Be smart about this. Make the only sensible choice." His voice no longer held its prior threatening tone.

My hand reached into my right pocket and found Sir Tyrant. _He's right,_ I realized. _I've only had one choice since the beginning._ "Understood," I replied.

I pushed the pokeball button. Tyrant popped out, though the ball remained in my pocket. "Punch the red haired guy's hand and push the bag to me!" I commanded.

"What?' Crimson reacted. Tyrant landed a blow on his palm. "Yeowch!" he shouted, dropping the knife. Sir Tyrant jumped to the backpack and kicked it towards me.

I held it up and twisted 180 degrees, just in time to block Bagon's punch. A crunch came from the pokemon guide inside absorbing the blow and likely shredding. "Gonn?" Bagon paused, seemingly confused by the sound.

"Give this guy a pound too, Sir Tyrant!" I shouted. I bent over onto my back and made a bridge. Tyrant jumped over me and kicked Bagon. "Keep it up!" While Bagon was twice Sir Tyrant's height, the two displayed equal strength while exchanging blows.

I slung my backpack over one shoulder and rolled onto my feet. Crimson stepped on his glove while blowing on his gloveless hand. "You'll regret playing the fictitious hero," he snapped.

"I'm not afraid, you wannabe rogue," I snapped back. "I was sent here to make sure Professor Ilk's brother was safe. If you're in the way, I'll remove you. Sir Tyrant, Leer!" Bagon momentarily paused again. "Give him a scratch!" I walked backwards toward the house to get a view of the fight and Crimson simultaneously.

Crimson sighed. "Bagon, standard mode. React as you see fit." Bagon's moves started to pick up. Sir Tyrant blocked most of the blows, but a few hit his stomach.

"No! Pound left, then scratch upper right!" I continued to give Tyrant commands while he struggled to keep up. Crimson, however, didn't say anything. I glanced right and didn't see him. _Where'd he go?_

"Having fun?" I glanced to my left and saw Crimson, hands in his pocket.

"Yaah!" I jumped backwards and raised my fists, my back nearly hitting the open door.

Crimson's smile replicated Mom's when she saw me imitating trainers. "Were you so focused on the fight you didn't see me walk over here?"

"What now?" I asked him, then turned back to the fight. "Block up and kick low!" Bagon kicked at Tyrant's unguarded side. He quickly regained his balance. "Damn it," I grunted.

"It's easy to differentiate the novice trainers from the decent ones." He flicked the wrist Sir Tyrant hit a few times. "They react to what they see and give premature commands. Stronger pokemon unintentionally let weak novices like you ignore this shortcoming."

My jaw tightened. "I don't see you winning. Sir Tyrant, double pound to the jaw! Wah!" Crimson kicked me in the left ankle and I fell onto the raised platform. My palms absorbed most of the damage. "Nngh!" I gritted my teeth and swallowed my cry of pain.

"Laar?" Tyrant glanced over, mid punch. Bagon took advantage and headbutted Sir Tyrant. He skidded back a few feet but stayed on his feet.

"In case you didn't realize, this isn't a trainer battle." His leg swung at me. I pounced up and back, ramming my head into the door. I clutched it with a cat's paw. He bent over. "I'm a criminal and you're an overinvolved passerby. Ya get it?"

"Tarr!" Tyrant ran at me.

Bagon crouched. "Gon!" it grunted while headbutting Sir Tyrant from behind. And he flew. Towards me, then into me. I flew back a few feet into the house and my back landed on the marble floor. A strap on my bag broke during my fall.

"Oooww," I muttered. My back, my hands, my arms, everything hurt. I stayed slumped over. Even miniscule movement added to my pain. Juxtaposing me, Tyrant stood on shaky legs, arms outstretched towards the incoming Crimson and Bagon. "Errgh," I grunted while putting weight onto my hands. Somehow, I sat up on my knees.

"Are you alright, miss?" a voice said from behind me.

"Huh?" I turned around, the broken backpack remaining on the ground, to see a middle-aged scientist partially lying down while on his elbows, wearing a lab coat and round rimmed glasses. His ruffled hair aligned with the bruises on his face. "Are you Darren?" I asked. "How are you? Ah, apart from the obvious."

He pushed on the ground until he was sitting up. "I can move. Better than nothing. More importantly, what do you have in your bag?"

"Right, my bag!" I reached inside and pulled out a potion. "Sir Tyrant, drink this and toss the bottle!" While still on all fours, I threw the bottle at Tyrant. He drank up, then threw the bottle at Bagon, who effortlessly broke it with a punch. Tyrant followed this with a strengthened charge. I slowly stood up while continuing to give commands. Tyrant, for the first time in this battle, took the lead.

"Ah, items," Crimson replied. "I've got a couple as well. How about I use a technical machine?" He pulled the pocketknife out and flipped the lighter up. After switching the flame on with his thumb, he held it in front of Bagon. "Bagon, use Dragonbreath."

Bagon breathed onto the lighter, his exhale creating a column of flames that shot at Tyrant. He put his arms up and leaned forward as flames barreled onto him. Pain showed through his eyes as he withstood the breath attack. Transfixed by the fiery death coming my way, I didn't move; therefore, Tyrant couldn't move. I watched my living shield burn for me.

Eventually, the attack stopped. Bagon caught its breath while Crimson switched off the lighter and put the pocketknife into his jacket pocket. Tyrant fell to its knees."La-kah, la-kah!" he coughed out. Light static flowed around him. Tyrant had been paralyzed from the effect of Dragonbreath, if I recalled the notes correctly.

"Sir Tyrant," I muttered. Either Crimson teleported to me or I lost focus for a moment. He grasped my chin in his gloved hand. _Only my wits are dead…right?_

"You might be indecisive garbage, but your Larvitar's got some real strength. I'll lift that burden off your shoulders."

He flicked my chin. "Ow!" I shouted, clutching my lower lip.

"The pokeball's in your right pocket. Do nothing but pull it out." He snapped loudly, then grasped his other hand. "5 seconds. _Or else_."

I reached into my pocket and pulled the pokeball out. "Ng, guh."

"Save it." Crimson stomped. "Push the button and return Larvitar. Now."

I held up the pokeball. "Bye, Sir Tyrant," I said.

Sir Tyrant put significant effort into turning to face me. "Laaarr?"

"Som-" _Someone like him won't get you hurt as often._ The words died in my throat. _How could I say that? Sir Tyrant's fought tooth and nail for me, and I repay him by forsaking all he fought for?_ I breathed in and out. "Don't forgive me." I closed my eyes. My index finger soon found itself on the center button. Gritting my teeth, I…felt a gust of wind rush past me. "Huh?"

I opened my eyes to see Crimson dash past me towards Darren. "You bastard." He gripped Darren's collar and raised his fist. "Why is a cop here? I destroyed your phone! Where did you hide another one?"

Darren smiled through a bruised face. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Get smart with me, will you?" Crimson had his fist inches away from Darren's face, when he stopped. "Come to think of it..." He let go of Darren and stormed to me. "You must have snuck him your phone when I wasn't looking. Clever of you. But I gotta ask. Why keep your phone on your bag rather than on you?"

"It's…safer?" I stammered out, struggling to keep my balance. The blare of a siren reached my ears.

"Ka-hah." Crimson let out a weird gasp-laugh combination. "You really are a bystander in this whole affair." He turned back to Darren. "Seems you're clean, for now. Pray you don't give me or my employers another reason to return." He gestured at the window on the far right. Bagon kicked through it. Crimson pushed himself through the now broken window, returned Bagon to its pokeball, grabbed a rope attached to a claw digging into the raised platform's surface, and climbed down the mountain.

I peeked out the open door and saw a cop get off his motorcycle. As he dashed closer, I recognized his plaid clothes. "Is that you, Brenda?" Doug exclaimed. "Thank goodness you're alright!"

He ran up to the two of us and inspected our bodies. "Oh my god, what did that criminal do to you?"

"I'm…fine?" The adrenaline gone, I looked over my body. Pain shot out from the various cuts on my hands and arms. Wincing, I hugged them. Blood dripped down. "Stop it, please," I told my arms. "Stop preventing the policeman from hunting the criminal. Agh."

"Don't worry." Doug gritted his teeth. He took a pokeball from his belt and released a Chansey, a fat pink pokemon with stubby arm and an egg in its front pouch. "Chan Lee, use aromatherapy."

An aroma wafted through the air. I took a sniff and…it vanished. All the stress and angst just disappeared. "Thank you, sir," I told Doug.

"I appreciate it too," Darren remarked. I turned around to see him smiling while reclining on his right side, arm 90 degrees. "Cough!" He covered his mouth with his left hand. A bit of blood dripped from his right. His lips pursed while he wiped the contents on his already stained lab coat.

Doug released an Abra next to Darren. "Zam Bam, teleport the old man to the closest facility, then return here." The yellow teddy bear/automaton fusion clasped its arms together. Some seconds later, it disappeared into thin air along with Darren's brother.

"What?" I leaned forward, arms still glued to my stomach. "Huh, they disappeared," I remarked in a mellow tone. "Your Chansey caused this mellowness, right? I'm taking this too calmly."

Doug nodded. "My main function on the force is emergency medical care. Most of my pokemon are trained solely for healthcare." He pointed up. "Teleportation requires travel along the spectral plane. Fast travel, sure, but it can warp a person's perspective if they enter distressed. The lucky ones only lose a little pocket change amidst more integral belongings. However, emergency care has to emerge quickly."

"Huh." _That sounds scar_ y. _Or maybe it doesn't._ Something else caught my ear, though. "Only healing? Don't you have any pokemon for battling? Don't trainers need those?"

Doug stretched his arms behind his back and grinned. "You'd be surprised. People think pokemon are only useful in battles cause that's what the famous people do. While I doubt I'll win the pokemon league, I don't need to. Though…" He gripped the left side of his pants. "I've got one fighter. But that's just in case people resist treatment. Nothing serious, just making sure kids stay still for shots."

"Yeah…kids…" My arms didn't move. I recognized the pain but couldn't flinch. _How weird. I didn't twitch. Shots feel scary. What does fear feel like, again?_

"Hey. None of that." A pat on my left shoulder jostled me slightly. Doug's smile carried a certain sternness to it. "I can tell you put yourself in harm's way to keep another person safe. You knew that kid immobilized a policeman and you still stood your ground for that injured man's sake. Nice going."

"Real nice," I said unenthusiastically. Recollections of my fear flashed through my mind, only to quickly fade away. "I should've called the police."

"Stressed people don't think rationally." He shook his head. "It's all about learning and preparing for the unexpected. Take a look at me." He pointed both hands at himself. "I'm still cringing over how awkward I was with you earlier. I normally deal with distressed people. I totally flunked on casual conversation. Kept fearing any careless action could cause you pain. Guess I had the wrong targets in mind."

Doug stood up. "I'm going to work on being the right conversation partner regardless of circumstance. Brenda, you can do the same. Use your failures to sculpt your successes."

Tears formed in my eyes. "Thank you," I calmly replied. "I'll have an awesome plan next time he shows up."

"Bra." The Abra appeared in front of me, having popped in from thin air.

"Right on cue." Doug clasped his hands together. "Stay calm on your trip."

"Where to, exactly?" I asked.

"Where…to?" Doug stared at me with an eyebrow raised. "Where else but the Caper City Pokemon Center?"

"The Pokemon Center?" I echoed. "Isn't that for treating pokemon?"

Doug searched for a word, then lost it. "You know what, I'll explain later. Let's get you treated first."

My body faded and I lost feeling. All I could remember was a blue vortex I traversed through. Like a passenger in a spaceship, the experience was something I could never explain, nor replicate on my own. The feeling in my body was literally beyond words.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

The Caper City nurse applied the last bandage to my hand. I tapped my bandaged fingers against one another. None of my joints hurt, but I felt more like I was holding a Styrofoam ball rather than clasping my fingers together. Fortunately, the metaphorical ball didn't have imaginary spikes. Nothing hurt, externally. "Thank you for the bandaging, Nurse Gina," I told her.

"Again, it's Joanna, and nothin' to it." She adjusted the nursing cap on top of her bowl-cut hair. "Does anything still hurt? I believe I bandaged everything." Nurse Joanna stepped away and beckoned from me to her left. "Let me know if anything hurts right away."

I stood up and took a few steps. "Ooh." I finally gave in and clutched my back.

"Ah!" Nurse Joanna ran towards me with shaking arms. "Is your back still not okay? I thought we treated that!"

I stopped her with a waving arm and semi-confident smile. "No, it's nothing major. I'll get over it soon."

"Don't strain yourself." Having grabbed reading glasses from a nearby bureau, Nurse Joanna put them on and perused a binder with lots of translucent pages. "So, about when you came in before-"

"I'm sorry." I bowed towards her. "Rgh," I reacted. The pain in my back convinced me to straighten it. To substitute, I only lowered my head. "You were giving me advice, and I left with such rude words."

"Sigh." Nurse Joanna peered out from her medical binder. "No, I'm the one who should apologize. A scared child came to me for help and I gave her a 'kay thanks bye' treatment, rather than helping to coax her fear." She signed. "Jokes or not, I went over the line. Doesn't matter whether or when I knew about your circumstances. I don't know the north nor your parents."

I walked backwards and intentionally fell butt-first onto the makeshift bed Nurse Joanna had been treating me on. "Whatever," I responded with a hung head. "I just want to go home and forget this horrible day."

"Actually, on the subject…" Nurse Joanna closed the binder and held it between her right arm and right side. "I can't legally discharge a minor unless they're with a parent or legal guardian."

"What?" My jaw lowered. "But my-"

"Past the tunnel," she interrupted. "I know. You told me during your treatment. But there's no exceptions. We can't dismiss children on their own."

"Go figure," I replied. "So, what can I do? Stay here forever? Or should I have not come here in the first place? Shouldn't a hospital help an injured child?" The thick brown bandages on my right palm contacted the bright-blue Band-Aids on my fingers as I tried to clench my fist. "I won't regret these injuries."

"Don't fret about it," Joanna reassured me. "We're only waiting for your guardian to arrive. He'll say more positive words than I could, and with more meaning than I could convey."

"My guardian?" I echoed. I glanced left. "Did you find a way to contact Mom? Or even Dad? But I thought this place only had a ninja-exclusive phone!"

"It's pronounced Naljo. But more importantly, it's his guardian." She removed a pen from the binder's interior and pointed at the cabinet where she retrieved her glasses. On top of it was my broken backpack, and above that was a pokeball. I grabbed it and looked underneath. Sure enough, Sir Tyrant's stats appeared. "I just needed to take the pokeball so I could heal the guy," Joanna continued. "Had some pretty bad burns and seriously low health points. That fight you two got involved in must have been something fierce."

"Mm-hm," I nodded after putting Sir Tyrant into my backpack. I stared at the broken straps. Even if my back was in peak condition, this broken piece of leather won't function as a backpack again. "Wait, I thought I was Sir Tyrant's guardian. Isn't he my pokemon?" I cringed internally. _What right do I have to claim ownership of something I never should've owned, allowed to get hurt, and almost gave away?_

Joanna shook her head. "Not officially. That Larvitar's official property of Professor Ilk. He just lent it to you."

"Brrrr!" rang something in Joanna's direction. She reached into the pocket of her scrubs and pulled out a phone. "Hello?" she responded. "Ah. I see. I'll let her know right away. Thank you!" She hung up, placed the phone back into her pocket, and turned to face me with a much kinder smile. "Professor Ilk just arrived."

"He did?" I jumped out of the makeshift bed. My excitement overrode the light pain in my back when my feet hit the ground. "All right! Oh, but only Sir Tyrant can leave, right?"

"I was getting to that, if you wouldn't interrupt me," Joanna growled. My eyes widened as I stepped back, unknowingly raising my arms. Nurse Joanna noticed my concern and blinked off her angst. "Sorry, again. Constant nursing wears out my social skills. No, Joanna, stop excusing your shortcomings to children." She grasped her head in her left palm, shook it a little, then faced me again. "Point is, he counts as your guardian since you're an acquaintance of his pet. It's a bit of an oversimplification, but the real explanation's super technical. Either way, ready to see Professor Ilk again?"

"You bet!" I stashed Tyrant's pokeball into my pocket. Despite my tone, I walked briskly to the door, porting the 'backpack' on its only functioning strap. While Joanna grasped my back with her free arm, the lack of anything heavy in my broken container made Joanna's support unnecessary. "Thinking about it," I brought up, "why were you talking like I didn't have a way home before? Why even bring up the idea if it doesn't apply to me?"

"Oh." She stopped suddenly, grabbing my arm. Her expression looked stern. "You probably won't be bailed out next time."

"Huh?"

Her gaze stayed on mine. "You still being in Naljo means the call you wanted to make to your mother didn't go through, right? I doubt Professor Ilk can support a kid and simultaneously make a profit, especially with his unpopular field of research. Unlike him, most people you'll run into probably won't give charity to foreigners, even kids your age."

"Wait." I held up one finger with my arm not supporting a backpack. "Are you telling me I'll have to fend for myself? What about a home? Food? Professor Ilk wouldn't just abandon me!"

She shook her head. "Without a parent, the odds point to you fending for yourself, at least for a little while. I hope your mother picks you up soon, before Professor Ilk runs out of food. Poor guy works all hours of the night on archaic historical research and makes peanuts."

"Oh." I held my left hand to my throat. "Ugh."

Joanna moved her hand from my side to my long unkempt hair. "I'm not saying this to blame you," Joanna reassured me. "I just want you to be aware. Being an adult, or just independent, means preparing yourself for tough unavoidable choices."

"Choices," I repeated. "Unavoidable choices."

"Heh." Joanna continued to make the hair between my pigtails all frizzy. "Don't worry. I wouldn't be telling you any of this if I didn't think you could handle it."

"Thanks," I muttered.

Our walk contained thirty seconds of silence until she opened the door and I gazed into the Pokemon Center's waiting room. Sitting down on the cushions near the Center's entrance, to my delight, was Professor Ilk. I limped towards him as Joanna returned to her station. To my right was a line of trainers, all showing signs of impatience for their pokemon's restoration. Ilk and I beamed upon recognizing one another. "Thank god you're alright!" he exclaimed. "Oh." His expression worsened when he saw the multitude of bandages on my arms.

"Thank god you're here!" I exclaimed. His body relaxed as I hugged him, unintentionally crinkling his scientist's coat "I thought I'd never see you again! I'm sorry I didn't call you."

"I'm sorry I sent you." He went back to smiling, though face also expressed telltale signs on worry. "I really thought Darren was just ignoring his phone. I should've had you stay with me." He sighed while rustling his hand through his own disheveled hair. "If I'd just started the research a few minutes earlier, I could've stopped you."

"What do you mean?" I separated myself from Ilk.

"Darren's name was on one of the-" After interrupting himself, he glanced around the room. "Would you be alright continuing this conversation at my lab?"

"Just one sec." I walked around the line of trainers until I reached the counter. My head barely exceeded the counter separating the customers from the healing the machine. I knocked on the counter, and immediately recalled my ailing arm. Joanna glanced at me, then continued operating the machine for the trainers. "Nurse Joanna? Heeeeyyy!"

"Sorry, Brenda. Can't talk now. You're no longer my patient. Gotta wait on a lot of customers. Thank, sir." The healing machine dinged. Joanna unattached four pokeballs from the top and handed them to the brat wearing a protruding straw hat and holding a net taller than him. Looking at him, his height advantage over me likely came from that hat. "Your pokemon are fully healed," Joanna said while bowing and clasping her hands. "We hope to see you again. Next in line?"

The next person, a tall handsome boy with red long-sleeved clothing and slick hair, handed six pokeballs over. Nurse Joanna grabbed them, not giving me a second glance. A poster behind her stood out, in how the pictured nurse was drawn as an evil-looking zombie. 'Treat all patients with care', it read below her. The next line was 'Reduce outbreak'. My understanding of Naljo treatment facilities ran further away. Yet it didn't detract from my initial goal.

"I just wanted to say bye is all," I said. "And that you're an awesome nurse. I hope…no, I really hope to see you again."

Joanna placed the pokeballs into their individual slots on the machine. Soon after, she made a quick turn, gave me a smile and wave, then returned to her job.

I walked back to Ilk with uneven steps. "I'm ready now," I told him gleefully.

He held the door open, then gestured out the door. "After you, milady."

The two of us walked on the snowy path to his office. "Can I ask you something?" I brought up.

"You can ask, but I might not be able to answer properly," he replied. "Not without a doctorate in teacher." half-jokingly. I grunted along his sudden laughter.

"Why are pokemon and people treated in the same location?" I gestured between my hand and my pocket, where Sir Tyrant rested inside his pokeball. "Aren't there differences between treating people and creatures that can create rock slides and fire from thin air?"

"You really don't know much about Naljo," he replied. "You may need a tour to familiarize yourself." My body froze for a second as I recalled Joanna's warning. Regardless, I kept walking while Ilk spoke. "Pokemon do most of the work people used to do, even construction. Facilities were crafted to better serve pokemon than people, as they expose themselves to danger and disease more often. Humans are a secondary concern. Doesn't mean no treatment, just less."

"But isn't that dangerous?" I asked. "There's tons of ways people can get injured! What if a group of people suffer from a serious disease? Will they fit?"

"The centers exist to help those people," Ilk replied. "Pokemon are admitted more often than people, so their areas get more funding. Statistics collected by Gym Leaders all over Naljo back it up. Large-scale infections are once in a century events, at best, and the last one wasn't even in Naljo."

"I see." I didn't see, but this discussion wouldn't change regulations. The idea of exercise professionals leading health care reform made some sense, on the surface. _Please don't suffer any serious injuries in this crazy region_ , I begged myself. "Speaking of tasks, how do people get pokemon to do all these tasks, like fighting and healing? Wouldn't some of them refuse to work?"

"Pokeballs, obviously." He pointed at my backpack. "If you capture a pokemon, the pokeball becomes its home. As you've experienced, the person holding it can control how long the pokemon is in and out of containment."

"So just anyone can get pokeballs?" I asked. "I thought they were exclusive items. Only famous trainers in tournaments got them, for competitive sport."

"They aren't exclusive." He pointed past his lab. "There's a store past my lab on the right where you can buy as many as you want. It also sells other supplies, like items used to restore health or cure poison."

"We can what?" I exclaimed. "Can anyone capture pokemon with just some money?"

"Do they not sell pokeballs where you live?" Ilk asked.

"Of course not! Any pokemon-infested area is fenced out, and opening the fence requires a permit! If I had these pokespheres, asking Mom for independence would've been way easier!"

"Huh," he replied as we stopped in front of his lab. "Your hometown sounds behind the times. That's compared to Naljo, who's usually two steps behind the world in regards to technology."

"You're telling me." I smirked.

"A slow printer works just as well as a fast one and costs less! Ah." Covering his mouth with two fingers, Ilk reached his other hand into his lab coat pocket and pulled out a set of keys. Seeing him switch from defensive to professional surprised me. Becoming an adult gives you the power to change your emotions at a heartbeat, apparently. He put his hand on the door handle. Rather than inserting a key into the obvious slot, he instead pushed the handle down until it rotated 90 degrees.

"Is it a trick lock?" I asked.

"The door's unlocked," Ilk said. "Don't worry, it's not a thief. I only gave my key to only one other person." He opened the door. "I'll go see what our visitor wants. You can hang out by the bookshelves." We headed inside. "Please don't interrupt us. This figure doesn't show up for trivial matters."

Ilk dropped the keys into his pocket and ran towards his room. I watched him for a few seconds before sitting down, as he suggested. I glanced at the bookshelf. None of the titles seemed like books I'd read, but one title caught my attention. "Varaneous: The Walking Firestorm," I read aloud. _Ilk and his brother, Darren, mentioned that pokemon at one point. Never caught what it was. Didn't see it in the stack of paper Ilk printed._ I checked inside my backpack to find only illegible scraps. I tossed them into a nearby trash can.

When I walked back, I reached for the cover of this book. _Learning more about mythology might help me understand Naljo better. Wait, what if Mom called when Ilk left to pick me up? I need to check the answering machine!_

I briskly walked, as running or power-walking wasn't an option in my current state, toward where I heard Ilk and some guy talking. "You mean the video was linked to the message?" Ilk asked.

"Apparently," responded a tall bald man in a black suit with lots of buttons. "The sender seemed pretty excited about whatever's on it. He even wrote 'watch it' in big special font letters in the P.S. area. If we're lucky, analyzing the footage will give us a clue as to where the patrollers' base of operations is."

"That would help immensely." Ilk pointed to his computer. "The flashdrive Brenda brought contained several possible locations. Unfortunately, they're all public facilities. Even if your attack's a success and we lock them up, your actions would sink the police's reputation even further. We'll need concrete evidence for a successful ambush and a supportive public response."

"Mind if I load the video up?" The bald man sat down in front of Ilk's computer. "I checked the file using the mainframe of our office in Phalecia Town. There's no viruses, but also no reliable ISBN. They used a public computer in Laurel City with a temporary account. We couldn't track their location"

"Load the video, Chief Rodriguez." Ilk booted up his computer. "Crafty patrollers. Let's at least hope that this video gives us a definite clue to the group's directive."

Rodriguez pointed to me, and I froze. "Is that Brenda? The one who gave you the flashdrive?"

"Oh?" He turned his head to me and sighed. "Yes, that's her. Do you need something, Brenda?"

"No, I…" I scratched my neck. _Guess this really was grown-up talk I shouldn't have gotten involved with._ "I just wanted to check the voicemail."

"There was only one message, and it was Chief Rodriguez, telling me he'd be here. I only missed it because I was picking you up." Ilk stood up and gestured to the computer. "All yours, by the way, chief. Brenda, please wait in the other room. We have very serious business here."

"Let her stay, Ilk." The man headed towards his briefcase, pulled out a police cap, and put on his head. "You're the girl from the non-wildlife preserve, right? I'm the cop you encountered. Great to see you made it out safely."

"Safely." Simultaneously confused and reassured, I slowly walked towards this Rodriguez person while tapping my fingers against one another.

"You're right. Safe is subjective. I'm sorry for the scary situation you had to go through." Chief Rodriguez sighed through his teeth. "The Rock Slide attack was a gamble. Without it, he would've captured both of us, or worse if their MO does turn out to be total malarky. This isn't an excuse for myself, but his pokemon were much stronger than mine. I wouldn't have been able to fend him off much longer."

 _His Lairon really did cause the cascading rocks,_ I realized. "So, you're a policeman, and a chief? How? Aren't those separate positions?"

Chief Rod-something assumed a fighting stance with fists parallel to his face. "I don't see higher positions as an excuse to avoid danger." He shadow-boxed the air. "Doing both roles, I can control the justice I administer and see its effects first-hand. Chief Arthur Rodriguez, by the way." He bowed while holding the hat, then put it back into his briefcase. "Plus, it's nice conversing with policemen not in my department. Arceus knows I crave casual conversation when I'm away from the other stiffs only concerned about finances." Many preferred to call the pokemon god by name. I wasn't among them. Arceus didn't have any stories I cared much for.

My religious beliefs aside, I found myself taken aback by his strong yet estranged sense of responsibility. _What a freeform, and possibly irresponsible, chief,_ I almost said aloud. "Thanks for saving me back there."

"Think nothing of it. I'm just sorry I didn't bring my full team when I first saw him. Never expected I'd find the leader travel on such a vulnerable route." He walked to Ilk. "I'm going to play the video. Mind getting up?"

Ilk stood up and gestured to the seat. "All yours. I'll find another seat"

"Do you want me to leave?" I asked.

"No, no," Mr. Rodriguez said as his head faced me. "You were attacked as well. It's important you stay informed. I won't force you to stay, though."

"I do want to stay." I walked forward and tossed my backpack onto the floor. I sat on it cross-legged. "Let me know when it's ready."

"I'll make us some tea while the video buffers." Ilk headed over to the room he got the drinks from earlier today. "We'll likely need our wits for whatever's about to play." He closed the door and gathered drinks for us, presumably.


	8. Chapter 8

Mr. Rodriguez sat on a chair the computer while clasping both hands in front of his face. A glass of iced tea sat on the end of the desk farthest from the computer, and far from where his arm could reach. I sat cross-legged on top of my bag. By my feet was a glass of iced tea that I couldn't hold for an extended period. Professor Ilk leaned against a wall, holding one hand to his lower lip. He gripped a coffee mug's handle with two fingers and a thumb. The three of us stared silently as the video played nothing but muffled sounds and static. The walls and locked door protected us from harm, or bound us inside a concrete cage.

Whether it was the still atmosphere or my anxiety, I picked a terrible moment to highlight my curiosity. "Someone sent you this video along with a message, right, Mr. Rodriguez?" I asked. "Did you find out who it was?"

Mr. Rodriguez turned to me while pointing at the computer. "We're about to find out. Hopefully." He moved the finger to his lips to the screen. Almost on cue, the video finally changed to a brighter image, though everything was still blurry.

"Ugh, finally," something on the screen announced. We finally saw something defined; a background of pure yellow. "Stupid camera's almost set up." As the muffled voice described his, or her, fixing of the camera angle aloud, the picture gained focus. "There we go." The background of this person's location was finally visible, though I could only see some trees behind the yellow person. Their outfit covered their entire body and looked almost identical to the red man's uniform, save the color. Like the red man, this yellow person had a black mask over the eyes, white gloves that matched the sheet of paper he or she was holding, white boots, a white stripe circling the suit at the waistline, a yellow belt buckle, and a white line leading up from that buckle.

Yellow, I called him, I assumed, began talking to someone off screen. "Okay, I moved back," Yellow said as he walked back towards the trees. "I'm good now, right? Awesome. Do I read now? Hey, you're the one micromanaging me!"

After a bunch of arguing, Yellow now stood in the middle of the wooded area, giving us three viewers a clearer picture of the background. We saw nothing but a large collection of trees, along with a dirt trail. Everything about the area made it look like any generic forest. I considered the obvious as a possibility, not a certainty.

"Why film here, anyway?" Yellow asked. "We're going to the _bzzzt_ anyway, right? Why not film there?" Before any of us could make out the location they were headed, a buzzing noise prevented us from hearing more.

"A cop shows up and we're leaving you here," the off-screen voice replied. Though I finally heard that person's voice clearly, I didn't hear a resemblance to the red man.

"Fine. I'll read the script, you slave driver." He held the paper in both hands and began reading. As he adjusted himself, I got a glance of what was behind him. For the most part, I just saw more woods, but at the back, I could make out a fire pit. To its right was…the tent I set up.

While the visuals weren't the most reliable in this video, what he stood in was undoubtedly…"The camp," I muttered.

"I agree." Mr. Rodriguez paused the video. "After I secured your escape, I ran as well and called in the nearest police office. Once we grouped up and returned to the site, after an hour or so, we found nothing. Two officers are currently preserving the scene, in case our investigation missed something. So far, no results."

"None?" I slammed the ground, keeping my resulting shivers to a minimum, and stood up. "What about my mom? Didn't you find her?"

"We found no one else at the scene," Mr. Rodriguez replied without meeting my gaze. "This video may explain why."

My feet slammed the ground as I stormed towards him. "You incompetent cop!" I shouted in a shrill voice. That got his attention. "You nearly kill me with a rock slide, run like a gutless coward, and don't even know what happened to Mom? Why should the force exist if you idiots can't even do your basic function of protecting helpless civilians?"

"Brenda." Ilk put his hand on my shoulder. "Yelling at him won't make anything better. If the police were omnipresent gods, crime wouldn't exist."

"You, he, I, I just…ngh…" My arms trembled as I held my nerves inside my body."

Chief Rodriguez stood up. "You're owed near infinite apologies and an explanation after everything you've gone thought. But…" He pointed to the screen. "Let's finish the video first. I have some questions about the events that they might be able to answer."

I glared at him while clenching my fist. "Oww." I held that fist with my other hand and sat back down on my backpack. Not once during that walk did my glare leave Chief Rodriguez. "Here's hoping your words do more than your actions."

"I'm sorry for the insults," Professor Ilk said. "She's just stressed."

Chief Rodriguez glanced at Professor Ilk. "Don't worry. Citizens yelling at me comes with the job. The rare moments where I deserve it are refreshing in a way." He turned back to the computer and pushed the spacebar.

"Greetings, chief of the farcical police," the man in yellow stated. "I hope this video finds you well. Sorry if the email didn't say much, but this video will best communicate our intentions.

"We're currently looking for piece of the Varaneous orb. Sadly, our scavenger hunt isn't yielding fruitful results with you cops looking over our shoulders following every little action we take. I thought we were doing a charitable service. But if you want to paint us as criminals, we'll be happy to help you."

The picture flashed black for a second. The picture currently on screen featured a woman tied to a chair. As the camera gained focused, her face became all too familiar. "Mom?" I hoarsely whispered. Her auburn hair was no longer tied up, her eyes were blocked, her mouth was bound, and her limbs were tied to the chair's armrests. _Those psychos kidnapped Mom!_ A mix of anger and fear kept me sitting down as I watched her struggle to move and scream.

The screen went black and returned to Yellow. "We found this little tourist from our glorious Naljo here on a camping trip. After a little digging around, we discovered her connection to a person of extreme interest. This lady, currently comfortable inside our base, is the ex-wife of the Pokemon League's champion himself, Lance. I guess even discarded trash can be recycled once or twice." Yellow looked up from the script. "Nice one, _bzzzt_!"

"Script," the male voice replied.

"Sst, sst." I breathed in and out with the maximum amount of air possible. Professor Ilk gave me a pained look while putting a finger to his lips. He then moved his hand out and created a small distance between his thumb and index finger. I obliged his request and stayed sitting. _After this video ends, no promises._

"Anyway, chief, here's our demands. I see a single cop halt the activities of any patroller, this woman faces the same fate as the daughter you crushed in a rock slide. Or is justice stopping criminals no matter the cost? The public knows how to appreciate the community service we provide them. I'd like to see their reactions to a certain group not so thrilled with our goodwill. Would we prefer turmoil over our own plan? Don't stress test it, for your precious champion's sake. Ciao!" The video ended on that abrupt note. At the same time, the balloon in my mind took in one breath too many and exploded.

"AAAAAAAHHH!" My sudden outburst caused Ilk to drop his coffee and Rodriguez to grip his seat's back. I then found myself on my feet before I told myself to stand. "I'll kill them." I reached down and grabbed my backpack. "I'll kill them all." I walked out of the room in a slow trance. "I'll kill every single one of those heartless terrorists."

A grip on my wrist broke my trance. I turned around to face Mr. Rodriguez. "You want to stop me, coward?" I shouted at him. "Those masked cretins intend to kill my mother!"

"If you go in blind, they'll kill you too!" Rodriguez snapped back. He forcibly twisted me towards him and grasped my shoulders. "You need to calm down. Any careless action you make could severely harm you or your mother." His tone tried to quell his anger.

I tried to walk away, but his grip kept me in place. "Are you saying we should let terrorists kidnap and hurt people without punishment? If you won't punish them, I will! Get off me already!" None of my efforts could push his arms off of me. Every second I resisted brought back pain in my arms. _Screw the pain. No more drowning in pity while villains get away with anything._

"I won't let go," he replied. "My job is to protect civilians. That means not letting kids wander around a foreign land until they're staring down the barrel of a gun."

I clicked my tongue. "I just witnessed the Naljo police force's true nature. Protect your own interests over actual protecting the people." I leaned back and forward, yet remained immobile. "I said, let go of me!"

"Brenda, what you're doing isn't independence," Ilk remarked, currently standing on my right side. "If you leave now, you'll needlessly put yourself in danger. If you calm down and assess the situation, you can make a smarter decision. That's the independence your mother would want."

"Don't you dare pretend you know what she's feeling!" I shouted. "No way she's feeling anything but fear and pain! She wants to stop feeling that, and if you won't do anything to alleviate her, I'll…do something." My expression softened as tears formed. _What am I even demanding? I ran from them at first, and now I think I can take on his whole team? No, stop doubting yourself!_ I shook my head and brought back my initial expression. _Control your emotion, like a grown-up!_

"Do you think your mother would truly be happy if you rushed in without a plan, location to go, or even a reliable way to defend yourself?" The force in his hands strengthened while his arms shivered. He lowered his head. "It's my fault you were exposed to danger. Please…let me do my job I couldn't do when we first met." I looked up at his face and met with only eyelids.

"Mr. Rodriguez…" I sighed while my head drooped. "You can let go. I'll at least hear you out before I do anything rash. Just promise me one thing, and make sure you keep it."

"I'm glad you're back," he whispered. Open eyes gave some light to his listless expression. "What can I do for you?" I shook my head once to the left and to the right. He removed his hands. "Sorry I used force. I had to make sure you didn't run away above all else."

"Let me get involved," I requested. Either he drained my strength, or my sudden outburst was just that. A momentary tantrum. I never wanted to start a fool's escapade on my own. What I really wanted was much simpler. "I'm in this situation because I wanted independence. If I can do something, don't exclude me because I'm ten years old. I'm involved, and I have a way to fight." I raised my backpack and pointed to the general area where Sir Tyrant is.

Mr. Rodriguez folded his arms and leaned back. "I'm not sure I can promise this. There's a lot of uncertainty in the current case. If you got hurt agai-"

"Promise me." I stepped towards him. He backed up. "Look." I held up my bandaged right palm. "I'm not afraid to get hurt. But I can admit my weaknesses. I don't know anything about the patrollers, and my skills as a pokemon trainer leave something to be desired. Can you help me with both of those concerns?" I bent my forearm towards my shoulder in a failed attempt to make a muscle.

"I…" Mr. Rodriguez stared at his palm, then at mine, then his again. He clenched his properly. "I promise." He shook my hand. I felt no pain from his grip, thankfully. "Now, where to begin," he mused.

"Why not start with why you were fighting the red patroller on the mountain?"

"Good idea." Mr. Rodriguez pointed to the chair. "Want to sit down, Brenda?"

I gripped my sore waist, even though it wasn't what hurt. "I…I'd like that." The chair scratched the floor as I pulled it towards me and plopped down.

"The patrollers were normally thought of as a pretty tame bunch," Mr. Rodriguez began. "Most of their activities were community service. Building bridges and security checkpoint buildings, digging pathways, that sort of work. Didn't ask for money, at first, but their actions got the support of local gym leaders who funded their activities. Before long, they'd become a regular charity group known all over the nation. Their activities hit a high point a few years back, and recently they've done much less. Before now, it made little sense considering their large gains."

"Who exactly makes up these patrollers?" I asked. "If they do large-scale construction, they must be a large organization."

"I can give some clarity on that," Professor Ilk replied. "I did some digging around on this flashdrive's contents. The group's composed of six primary member, each one identified by the color of the full body suit they wear. The one in red leads the others. Unfortunately, there's no personal details about any of them in these files. We can only guess their genders and ages, as their mugshots only feature their heads covered by their trademark masks.

"What the yellow one said about awakening Varaneous corresponds with these notes. There's pages detailing the mythology, including a document detailing events discussed in different retellings, and their relevance to real events in Naljo. One document has a list of all people with a possible connection to the orb one needs to awaken the fire diety. Darren was on the list, even though he's completely uninvolved. Unfortunately, nothing's listed detailing their plans for after the capture of Varaneous. I can't imagine it's anything positive."

"That would explain their excavations all around the region," Mr. Rodriguez chimed in. "They're probably following leads to pieces of the orb. They complete that sucker, they control Varaneous. Their charity was probably just a front for gathering money to continue their digging pursuits. I thought it was suspicious why they opted to dig a fourth path leading out of Phalecia Town when barely anyone visits that place."

"How does that lead to you and Red leaving the Naljo region?"

"Red?" Mr. Rodriguez asked. "You know what, that's an easy naming scheme. Let's go with that. Anyway, I called the police force down there to ask the patrollers about their activities. Nothing serious, I just wanted them to have a casual conversation. Their only 'crime' was mining treasure, and that's completely legal in Phalecia. Besides, it was the only time they'd stayed in one place this long while doing anything but a charity digging or construction project. I saw it as the best opportunity to understand their motives.

"Each patroller the officer talked to told him to ask Red for specifics, since he apparently managed their activities. Red agreed to have a one on one conversation, and the two headed towards the police station. Right at the front door, Red unleashed a Pidgeot, jumped onto its back and flew off. Other officers sent flying pokemon at him, but a Glalie he released in the air used Ice Beam on any incoming pursuers."

I almost interrupted him regarding how his average-sized bird would fit a pokemon like Glalie, a large black orb with pointed ears and a thin layer of ice covering it save holes for its large blue eyes and large mouth, but then I recalled how the ice behemoth typically hovered above ground with its 'levitate' ability. Pidgeot likely didn't feel any additional weight.

"The officer ran towards the excavation site to find that all of the patrollers had vanished. Clearly, they had no intention of being questioned in the first place. That was the conclusion I came to after the officers down there briefed me on the situation. Knowing that made me want to question them even more.

"A little while later, one of my officers doing his usual routine sky surveillance noted a Pidgeot in the sky, along with two other objects on top. At the distance Red was flying, small wonder no one could see him properly. After putting two and two together, I thanked my officer for his astute observational skills and grabbed a low-level Fearow from the arsenal. Rather than endanger one of my men on a goose chase, I flew up there myself. Thanks to her speed, I got close enough to Red that I could jump on his Pidgeot before my ride was frozen over." He walked over to his briefcase and pulled out a pokeball. "Don't worry, that large winged bird's here and healed. All she suffered was some temporary lost consciousness. One more of those won't hurt her."

"Huh." _One more,_ I didn't ask. _Do you let your pokemon lose consciousness frequently? Doesn't that traumatize them?_

"Before I got stable footing, I released Lairon, the metal lizard you saw me with earlier. He applied enough force to break the resistance and allow both of us to land." I chalked up 'resistance' as police jargon for the bad guy fighting back. "I told him that we had no malicious intent for questioning him. He said something about us no longer in the public lens and his Glalie shot me with an Ice Beam. Lairon stopped it with his tail, then used it to smack Glalie into Pidgeot's back. It was at that point I remembered how we were in the air."

Mr. Rodriguez stopped the story with his hand in the air, and made a 'tsuuu' sound as his hand fell. I narrowed my eyes. "Ah, sorry about that," he remarked. "I rarely get a chance for action and…nevermind, that wasn't appropriate."

He cleared his throat. "Both of us fell. I released Graveler to appear near the ground. He caught me before I hit the ground, and that's when I ran into you."

"Hm." I folded my arms and leaned back for a second. "I'm sorry for what I said before. You're really brave. No wonder you're the chief."

"I don't deserve the praise." Mr. Rodriguez fuffled through his hair. "I ran away like a coward. I gave the team enough time to kidnap your mother and film a slipshod threat message. I don't know whether one of them was hiding in the area and just dropped that flashdrive you found, but you getting that into our possession is bigger than anything I've done since the chase."

"That reminds me." Ilk walked over to me. "You mind if I use the computer, Brenda? What I found on the flashdrive might prove a little helpful to us."

"All yours." I stood up and gestured to the seat. Ilk put the coffee mug on the table and began clicking through Finder windows. In a few seconds, the screen was flooded with PDFs.

Ilk made one full screen. "This is the 'Persons and places of note' document," he explained. "It contains the name of every archaeological scientist within Naljo. Darren and I are on this list. He was likely a target. The others on here, myself included, are in serious danger." Mr. Rodriguez and I stared at the screen.

Not seeing something hit me. "What about Crimson?" I asked. "He attacked Darren because the patrollers ordered him to, right? Is his name on one of these documents? Or is he a patroller?"

"Crimson…" Mr. Rodriguez put a finger to his lip. "That's the boy who attacked a border guard and gave you those injuries, right?"

"Does he have a white headband and white spiky hair?" Ilk asked.

"Yeah."

"Then you might want to see this."

Ilk pulled up another PDF with Crimson's face, next to the label 'Florence Ballon'. "Is Crimson a nickname or something?" I asked.

"Who knows?" Ilk shrugged. "Let's consider what we do know." He pointed to the bulletpoints below Florence's picture. "Here appear to be the jobs he's taken on. This whole list seems to be mercenaries for hire rather than actual members." He scrolled through the list. I only caught a few of the names until my eyes gave up keeping the pace of the scrolling. "At the least, this list shows who's never wearing one of the patroller body suits. No way would the members be on this list."

"Let's not jump to conclusions we can't prove." Mr. Rodriguez pulled out a black flashdrive from his suit pocket, containing small white text on the cover reading 'Police Issued'. "Professor Ilk, could you transfer everything the names and everything else from that flashdrive onto this one? This'll be more secure than electronic transfer. Plus, I'll need to ascertain that everything on the flashdrive Brenda brought in is reliable, and not some elaborate red herring."

"No problem. Just give me a second." Professor Ilk swiped the flashdrive from Mr. Rodriguez and plugged it into the computer. "This labeling and organization system is too excessive a time waster to be nothing but a diversion. I'm sure your staff will verify that the content is reliable."

Mr. Rodriguez sighed. "Even if we do have classified information on the patrollers, what's the point?"

"You mean apart from hobbling the patrollers?" Professor Ilk asked.

Mr. Rodriguez pointe at the computer. "You and I both saw the video directly emailed to me. Any action I or the police take against the patrollers, they or the people they've hired will notice and follow up on their promise. Grgh!" He clenched his fist. It trembled a few times before Mr. Rodriguez sighed and relaxed his arm. "I can't weigh saved lives based on numbers. I'm the freaking chief of the whole police force within Naljo, right? Why can't I make a single decision? Aaaaaaaargh!" He screamed while gripping his bald dome.

Each second of his scream replaced the resentment I once I held for him. This guy gave orders to tons of police officers and directly worked alongside them. He did everything in his power for my mom and me. What did I do? I ran away. While I mentally punched my entitlement over and over, Ilk transferred documents onto Rodriguez's flashdrive. _Ilk said that this document contained mercenaries hired by the patrollers, right?_

"I have an idea." Ilk stopped typing while Mr. Rodriguez directed large wide eyes at me. Despite the pressure he exerted, I still found a way to speak. "You said Crimson, or whatever his name is, was on a list of hired persons. Couldn't you do the same thing? Find someone you could hire outside of the police force? If trainers are so common, there have to be some out there stronger than the patrollers."

Mr. Rodriguez shook his head. "There's no way I could consider the notion."

"What's that mean?" I folded my arms. "Something wrong with my suggestion?"

"It's not you, it's the circumstances." Mr. Rodriguez gritted his teeth while glancing right. "Our police force has no policy in mind when recruiting help from outside the force. Even if we did, we couldn't trust uninvolved people to accomplish this sort of job without revealing their connection to us. Worst case scenario, they'll value payment for a completed job over safety of the hostage. Especially since she's not a Naljo native. Relations with Rijon have been less than pleasant since the great infection." He leaned against the wall. "People are selfish creatures. They'll do the job and demand payment, expecting us to handle the aftermath. But we can't fix a broken life." He rammed his head against the wall. "Ilk, you sure that flashdrive said nothing about where we find Varaneous' orb? I'd rather meet their demands ASAP."

"No you wouldn't," Ilk replied. "Their aim is to awaken Varaneous. There's no way we can let a pokemon of such destructive capability fall under the control of people so unstable they'd attack policemen. If we're lucky, we'll be able to count the number of resulting corpses."

Mr. Rodriguez silently walked towards Ilk and slammed his fist on the table, causing the keyboard to jostle slightly. "I can't play a numbers game with terrorists! Isn't there a way innocent civilians don't have to die?"

Ilk dragged the flashdrive icon into the trash and removed the physical flashdrive from his computer. He placed it next to Mr. Rodriguez's clenched fist. "Here's the documents. What should I say that could possibly make you feel better? You think situation would exist if there was an easy solution?"

"Rgh…" Mr. Rodriguez grabbed the flashdrive. "Don't say anything," he said while opening his suitcase. "I don't deserve any consolation for failing this miserably." He placed the flashdrive inside the suitcase and locked it up. "Thank you for the data. I'll call you if I come up with a plan. Or you can block my number. Result's the same either way."

"Wait!" Once I caught up, I grasped his sleeve. "Aren't you going to do anything? What about Mom? Don't adults know what to do when problems occur?"

"Grown-ups are not infallible." He moved his arm, likely intending to shake mine off, but instead let it hang. "Would you like to stay at my house for the time being? Mrs. Rodriguez will make sure your stay is comfortable and safe. She's typically doing housework during the day, so you don't have to worry about getting hungry or lonely. One more mouth to feed would make the dinner table much livelier. Lord knows the honey would like a child, and we were consider…" He went silent as he swallowed the rest of his sentence. "Well, it's your call. We'd both enjoy having you stay with us."

Before hearing my answer, he turned away and kicked the ground. I didn't need mind-reading powers to know one of the words he didn't say. _Adoption. He hasn't only considered the potential failure of rescuing Mom, he's already preparing for what happens after failing._ "Ha-kha. Ha-kha." The breaths escaping my mouth sounded like I was choking, coughing and laughing at the same time. _How can I demand from others what I can't even look at the issue like a rational adult?_ My mind went blank as I gave it a try. _If I consider everything, like the rockslide, the patrollers, Mom being a hostage, then…huh. How simple._

Perhaps it was my fear of never seeing my mother, my annoyance at the police officer giving up, my ironic enthrall at a simple camping trip becoming this madness, or some combination of all three. Whatever the reason, the conclusion I came to exited my mouth as naturally as I exhaled.

"What if I went after the patrollers and saved Mom, by myself?"

The rhythmic footsteps stopped, only for Mr. Rodriguez to fill the noise gap by dropping his briefcase. "What did you just say?"

"Brenda, recklessness isn't independence," Ilk reminded. "We already talked about this. Neither of us will let you attempt a suicide mission, especially not in a blind rage."

I shook my head. "It's not like before. I don't want to rush in. I'll be going in super prepared. Besides, isn't the idea perfect?" My face reflected this odd batch of enthusiasm while I used my arms for the rest of my explanation. "I don't have any connection to the police! I'm concerned about the hostage! The only patroller who met me thinks I'm dead! It's the best and only option we've got!"

"Absolutely not." Chief Rodriguez stormed toward me. "I told you before. I'm not letting you wander into certain danger."

I punched the air two inches from his stomach, only to immediately lower my arm. "You also promised to not leave me out of things I could do myself." I walked to my bag and pulled out Sir Tyrant's pokeball. "From what I've heard you say, there's no one else, better or worse, for this job."

"No, Brenda," Professor Ilk began. "You can't-"

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do!" I retorted. "If anyone can buy pokeballs and level up their pokemon, I can defend myself easily!"

Ilk cleared his throat. "You can't leave without preparations." He stood up, pulled open the drawer beneath his computer, and grabbed two somethings. As he walked over to me, I observed a flashdrive and a red rectangular e-book. I stared at the red contraption. In response, Ilk flipped it open. The inner portion was a screen, below which were a series of buttons.

"What is this thing?" I asked after he closed it.

"This device is called a pokedex," Professor Ilk explained. "It's a handheld computer that operates by touch screen and stylus." He pointed to an area on the top of the pokedex, where I identified the sheathed stylus. "The pokedex collects and stores data based on the pokemon you encounter and what you input into its USB port."

"And you're giving it to me?" I asked. "I thought you were opposed to me going."

Ilk sighed. "I'm very opposed to it. However, I can't argue any the points you made. You're right. We're out of options, and we can't trust anyone else to be concerned with your Mom's safety. Plus, you're not connected to the police."

He gripped the two items while pointing the ungripped end of the pokedex at me. "I hate to expose you to danger. But you've proven twice that you can overcome fear and unlikely odds. I believe…" He took a deep breath. "I believe that you're making the right choice."

"Ahaha." A grin grew on my face. "I won't let you down, sir." I grabbed the pokedex and flashdrive from him.

"Don't carry this conversation on your own." Chief Rodriguez grabbed my wrist holding the pokedex. I put every ounce of my strength into not breaking this tiny computer. His glare didn't help things. "Brenda, I won't let a child walk into danger. You…" His grip weakened. "I'm begging you. Making the sensible choice."

"She is." Ilk wrestled Chief Rodriguez's arm from its grip on mine. "This choice is hers to make, Chief. Not yours. Brenda's making a tough call you're afraid to make yourself. Unless your temper tantrum earlier was your thespian talents at work?"

"You…" He ripped off Ilk's grasp and prepared a fist. Ilk shielded me with one arm and covered himself with the other. Elbow on his side and fist…arcing upward, Mr. Rodriguez punched his head. "You're right. It's a good thing this punch made me nuts enough to go along with this plan."

"Mr. Rodriguez," I remarked. Ilk's hand retreated to his sides.

What happened next defied my expectations. Mr. Rodriguez, the chief of police, got on his knees, clasped his hands together, and bowed his head. "I'm pushing a momentous task onto you, one only you can accomplish. Many lives, including your mother's, rest in your bruised hands. Unfortunately, I can only support you while you're inside this building. We can't risk the patrollers learning of this connection. Once you leave, you may never share the details of this plan with anyone else, especially other police officers."

He stood up and extended his hand. "Your mission is suspect to change, you will fight trainers with more experience than yourself, and the choices you make alongside your pokemon could save or end lives. Knowing all this, will you still undertake this journey? This is your last chance to back out. Should you shake my hand, the three of us shall work on the specifics of your mission, and you alone will carry it out."

I took a deep breath. _Mom,_ I thought. _I will see you again, for sure._ I gripped Mr. Rodriguez's hand. "I could never back out. For the first time, I want my choices to lead me forward." I let go and, for the first time in who knows how long, I relaxed.

As my eyes drooped, I forced myself to sit on the floor. I detached my bag from my body and rested my head on it.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Uuugh." A yawn escaped my mouth as my eyes squinted open. An itch arose just above my right ear. I moved my hand back to scratch it. However, what brushed against my skin was a white sheet, not a fingernail. The sheet rubbed against straight hair, not a pigtail. My eyes opened wider. I glanced toward my toes. They were the only part of my body not covered by this sheet. By my not-covered feet was a bedpost. I leaned forward. To my right was a grey wall. To my left was Ilk's lab. Below me was a fuzzy brown blanket, and below that was a matress and wooden support. On the ground and beneath that support were my shoes. Fully awake, I tossed the sheet off me. Unlike my feet, my body was draped in the same clothes I wore when… _I fell asleep_ _on the floor, right?_

My feet tapped the ground, though my thick socks stifled any noise. "Did you sleep well?" Ilk asked me. Apart from his head, his body faced the computer. He stood up and took a sip from his unique looking mug. "You want some tea? Or just some water?" The scent of coffee wafted over to me.

I pushed my shoulder onto my nose. "Blegh." My clothes stank, likely from having slept in them. I lowered my arm. "When did I move into the bed?" I asked Ilk. "Didn't I fall asleep on the floor?"

"Chief Rodriguez and I carried you to the bed after you fell asleep," Ilk answered while he put his rose-adorned mug on the counter. "Sleeping on the ground would've hurt your back." Ilk pointed to an empty shelf. "I grabbed a spare sheet from my disorganized bureau of stuff. Thought it would make your rest a little more comfortable. We would've tucked you in, but we feared waking you up if we moved you too much."

"Wait wait wait!" I held out both my hands and shook my head. Logical thought had returned to my cranium. "It doesn't matter why I'm on the bed! When did I fall asleep? I have a rescue mission to start up!"

"One question at a time." Ilk grabbed my, or rather his, phone from his coat pocket. He must have retrieved it from my bag after carrying me onto the bed. "It's 10:00 am, and I think you fell asleep at around 9 or 10 last night. Don't quote me."

"10 o'clock? No!" I pushed the sheet off me and jumped out of bed. "Where did you and Mr. Rodriguez sleep? Wait, did Mr. Rodriguez leave? He must have left last night! How am I going to train for this journey now?" I slapped my had. "Stupid, stupid! Why didn't you wake up sooner? Why did you even fall asleep? Stop making your life and the lives of everyone around you harder for no reason, you stupid brat!"

Ilk pointed at his coffee mug. "All-nighters are nothing new for scientists. Besides, after all the stress you went through, you needed a good night's sleep more than me. As for Chief Rodri-" A loud flush interrupted Ilk's explanation. "He's in there," Ilk continued, gesturing towards the sound of running sink water.

"You need me for something?" Mr. Rodriguez called from the bathroom. "I'll be right out." After a few seconds, he opened the door. I saw him grab his coat from the door hanger and put it on over his white dress shirt. "You have to buy regular brand brew, Professor. All bargains have a hidden cost." He shut the door. Once he turned around, his eyes registered me. "Oh, good morning, Brenda. You sleep well?"

"Did you?" I asked. "You spent half a day here without sleeping. Don't you have work?"

Rodriguez laughed while brushing his palms together. "You think a police chief active on the field has time for sleep?" he asked as he walked to Ilk's desk. "This body runs on pure artificial adrenaline." He opened his briefcase, which was sitting on the table just left of Ilk's computer, and pulled out a pokeball. "Besides," he said while clicking the center button, "I keep my promises. Let's start your training."

A red light shone from the pokeball to the ground. From the flash came the armored lizard Lairon. "Raaaaawn," he roared.

Mr. Rodriguez walked over to me. He lifted one of my arms and placed the pokeball on my palm. "Throw this at Lairon's head, and get the central button to hit him. You'll be making your own team from pokemon in the wild, so you'll need to practice your capturing technique." He pointed at Lairon. "Lairon, stay still. This is just practice."

I looked at my palm. _Right, pokeballs are a common thing in Naljo,_ I reminded myself. Yet this fact didn't answer my central question. "Why do this practice?" I asked. "Do I really need to capture pokemon?"

Mr. Rodriguez nodded. "You need a strong balance." He pointed at my bag resting on another one of the bureau's shelves, just above the slow printer. "Your only pokemon is that Larvitar. While he's certainly a capable fighter, strong trainers utilize up multiple pokemon that balance out each other's strengths and weaknesses. A team full of water and grass pokemon would wipe the floor with him. I'd recommend making a team of six, balancing which types fit your battling style. Make sure you limit yourself to six pokemon. You won't be able to focus on each fighter's individual strength if you're carrying too many at a time, especially considering the ticking clock regarding the Pallet Patrollers' plans."

I nodded back. "That's neat, but not exactly what I meant," I replied. "Why find pokemon at all? Can't you just loan me some strong pokemon from the police? Your Fearow was loaned to you, so couldn't I do the same?"

"I wouldn't recommend that, for your own sake," Mr. Rodriguez replied. "You're currently a novice trainer. Having to struggle and gain strength yourself will familiarize you with the nuances of battling. Depending on strong fighters won't foster that independence, especially if your opponent's team is stronger and better coordinated."

"I see." I frowned while looking at the pokeball. _Strong pokemon let novices like you make up for their own shortcomings,_ Crimson had told me.

"Besides, pokemon strength is relative," Mr. Rodriguez continued. "Sure, higher levels mean greater attributes and stronger attacks, but any trainer can gain levels. The patrollers have specific pokemon with abilities best suiting them, and we don't know those specifics. Handing you a couple of strong pokemon may have no effect if they have strategies against these types of pokemon, assuming a list of the pokemon in the police arsenal isn't among their future demands. If you build your own team that suits you alone, you'll know the ins and outs of your own strategy, and be able to adapt properly to the patrollers' strategies. A dull dagger you've crafted with your own hands will do more damage than a sharp sword you're swinging around all willy-nilly." He held up his hands. "Not that I want you to compare your pokemon to weapons."

"This coming from the steel meister," Ilk remarked while typing something on his computer. The two chuckled from this inside joke. A wire connected from the desktop to something in his leg area, which wasn't connected to the computer yesterday.

I ruffled my right hand through my bed hair. "Can I process all that for a second?" The pain in my hands and arms was gone, even though the bandages were still there. _Were the cuts surface-deep?_ I shrugged. _Enjoy the arms that move properly without pain, Brenda._ I inspected the pokeball in my left hand while spinning my right arm in a circle. "I think I got it," I said.

"Any other questions?" Mr. Rodriguez asked. "Or are you ready for capture practice?"

 _Ah._ I clutched my stomach. "Actually, I'd like to use the restroom first. You didn't give the place grown-up stink, did you?"

Mr. Rodriguez made a guilty smile. "That's up to perspective."

I sighed while Mr. Rodriguez took the pokeball from my hand. "I hate being a freeloader." On my walk to the bathroom, I pulled my logo top over my nose and mouth. Mr. Rodriguez, in the meantime, whispered something to Ilk.

A couple minutes later, I exited the bathroom with wet hands. "Don't you have paper towels? Or Potpourri?"

"Hand towel's to your left and spray deodorant's at the Poke Mart," Ilk replied without turning to me.

"It's not d-egh." I looked at the bathroom's left wall and identified a small green towel, nearly matching the wall's lighter green tint. I dried my hands with it. "Want me to go there and buy you some, Ilk?" I asked while taking back Mr. Rodriguez's pokeball. "It's the least I can do, as thanks for the bed."

Ilk turned the chair to face me. The flat red pokedex rested on his lap and the new wire connected it to his desktop. "I'm fine," he replied. "Like I said, I don't usually entertain guests. People usually don't notice their own smell, anyway."

"What's that supposed to-" A sweat-ridden odor caught my attention. I glanced down at my disheveled clothes. I turned my left side to Lairon and extended my right arm backwards. "Men should be nicer to young _ladies_!" I shouted, emphasizing the last word alongside pitching the pokeball at the protruding metal on Lairon's forehead. I stomped with my right foot to stop my forward momentum. During the pokeball's descent, gravity seemed to center on the bottom half. _Is the white part of a pokeball heavier than the red,_ I wondered.

"Lrr." Lairon made a disgruntled noise as its form transformed into red light. The pokeball fell onto the ground.

"Yeah!" I slammed one fist into my palm. "On to the next phase of training?"

"Incredible throwing skills." Mr. Rodriguez clapped twice. He blinked three times. "You sure you've never handled pokeballs before?"

"Never had to. I'm pitcher of my school's baseball team." I flexed my skinny arm. "No, I didn't mean softball. Underhand pitching's for girls. That's why I get to play on the boys' team." I walked over to the pokeball and picked it up. "Hitting a still target's easy if it's that close to me." I gripped the pokeball in both hands and stared at it. "You'll give my school a good reason for my…extended absence. Right, Mr. Rodriguez? When this is over, I want proof that my old life's still waiting for me." I brought the pokeball to my chest and hugged.

Mr. Rodriguez put his hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry about anything except the arduous task you've chosen to undertake. The time it takes won't matter. My wife can home-school you at an accelerated pace."

"Awesome!" I plastered a grin on my somber face, then jumped up. "This epic story's going to make me so popular!" I step away from his grip. _Don't look down on me,_ I internally told him _. Tell me I'll win this. Lie or not, tell me you believe in my success._

"You're going to do great, hero," he replied without me prompting.His arm extended to me. I almost backed up until I saw the empty palm. "Mind handing me Ronny?" I placed Lairon's pokeball on his hand. "Just know that pokemon won't stand still outside," he reminded me. "Ah. Before I go on, want to grab something to write with?" I nodded.

"Paper's in the printer," Ilk replied. "Pens and pencils are next to the printer, behind the stapler. Grab any of the books in any other shelf to use as a makeshift clipboard. I'll put it away later."

"Can I just use the pokedex?" I asked. "It had a stylus and a canvas for writing, right?"

"I'm currently doing modifications," he answered.

Ten seconds later, I was sitting in front of Mr. Rodriguez, paper in hand and readiness in brain. Lairon's pokeball was resting by my feet.

"Heh." Mr. Rodriguez scratched the side of his head. "Does my wife really do this every day? Well, here goes something. In tall grass and other places where pokemon roam, they're…well, roaming. As in, not standing still. You need to close the distance if you want a decent chance of capturing them. However, wild animals make take extreme measures to keep their distance from you. Make sure that your pokemon weakens them first. They'll move a lot slower if they have less HP or are suffering from a status ailment like a burn, making them easier for you to capture. That said, don't go so crazy with lowering the pokemon's HP that it faints. The mechanisms in pokeballs require conscious thought from the target. The pokemon must recognize you as its new master. Otherwise, the pokeball will not become its new home."

"That's…uh…" I struggled to write everything down. A lot of what he said seemed to go over my head.

Mr. Rodriguez shook his head. "Forget what I said. Put simply, lower a pokemon's HP to increase your chance of capturing it. If it faints, you can't capture it."

"I followed that." I scribbled down his two simple sentences. "Why can't I capture a pokemon if it fainted? You returned a fainted pokemon to your pokeball when chasing Red."

"It's different for pokemon you've already captured," Rodriguez explained. "They've already recognized you as their master, so their new home is absolute. As for why the pokeballs were designed to require pokemon recognition, you'd have to ask the manufacturer. I'm just a customer."

I scribbled the rest down. "Okay, I think I got it."

"Give me the paper when you're done writing down trainer tips," Ilk told me. "I'll transcribe it after installing updates."

"Consider it done." I placed the papers on Ilk's desk, then returned to where Mr. Rodriguez was standing.

"Mind if I check something?" I grabbed the pokeball at Mr. Rodriguez's feet. "Just want to check what level I should get to." I flipped the pokeball over. My eyes darted to Lairon's description. "Level thirty? That's pretty high. Whoa!" My pinky accidentally touched the central button.

The pokeball jostled as light escaped it. This light eventually formed Lairon. "Lair!" he growled. I jumped backwards. In reaction, he…fell onto his left side. He wagged all four of his stubby feet.

"Ronny's asking you for a stomach rub," Mr. Rodriguez informed me. "Must've been impressed with your throw. He doesn't warm up quickly towards new people. Not saying you have to pet him."

"Huh." I shrugged, got on my knees, and rubbed the underside of a lizard coated in metal armor. _I never thought I'd get this close to such a fierce pokemon, let alone pet it._ Despite the metal surrounding his back, head and leg joints, I could feel warmth and a heartbeat beneath his underbelly.

" _Good going, tiny human. Now scratch my upper right foot."_ On cue, Ronny's upper right foot wiggled. Without thinking, I followed the direction of this unknown voice and scratched the designated foot. _"Ah. That hits the spot. I tell Arthur to scratch here for years, and this girl with good throwing skills figures it out first? Makes about as much sense as this sudden tingling in my ear."_

 _Tingling? Isn't that what Sir Tyrant…oh._ I remove my hand, cutting off Lairon's thoughts. "Mr. Rodriguez, Lai-er, Ronny says you never scratch his foot. Any reason?"

"That's what he wanted?" Mr. Rodriguez asked. "I thought it was just an instinctive reaction to...what do you mean, says?"

"It's what he told me." Ronny lifted his head. I momentarily forgot the 'no mind-reading' promise I made with Sir Tyrant and scratched the lizard's chin. "I guess it wasn't talking," I continued. "Um, how do I put this?"

"It's mind reading," Ilk replied. He stood up and leaned towards his feet. "Brenda recently learned that she can hear the thoughts of pokemon by touching them." He looked up while leaning towards his toes. "Sorry, Brenda. Should've asked you before telling the chief. You don't mind, do you?"

"No, but…" I stared at my palm. "I thought it was only Sir Tyrant. I touched a wild pidgey after fighting it, but I didn't hear anything of its thoughts."

Ilk stood up. "If you had just fought this Pidgey, it was likely unconscious. A fainted pokemon can't achieve conscious thoughts."

"Right. Eheh." I scratched the back of my neck alongside a nervous laugh. _Duh._

"What an unusual gift," Mr. Rodriguez remarked. "Is it pokemon-exclusive, or can you use it on people?"

I shook my head. "You'd feel if I used it on you." My finger pushed on my ear. "Both Sir Tyrant and Ronny complained about a tingling in their ear. Guess it's a side effect of my power."

"Ronnn!" Ronny slapped his tail on the ground. The momentum propelled him onto his feet. He shook his head a few times.

"Did I say something?" I grasped the metal cover on his head.

" _Good, you hear me now. I wasn't complaining! I was just pointing out the ear tingling! It doesn't hurt, okay? Don't make me look weak in front of Arthur!"_

"Wow." I removed my hand and stood up. "Ronny says the ear thing doesn't hurt." I hadn't noticed before, but Ronny's mental voice was a higher pitch than his out-loud growl.

Mr. Rodriguez laughed. "Don't worry, Ronny. You're the toughest pokemon in all of Naljo." Ronny jumped a few times and smiled. "That aside, Brenda?"

"What is it?"

"This power could be very useful in your journey. You secure any of the Pallet Patrollers' pokemon, you could probably glean some useful info about where they're keeping your mother. I know a police officer shouldn't recommend stealing, but I can turn the other way on criminals who take hostages. Which reminds me…" He pointed at the computer. "The patroller in yellow described your mother as the champion's ex-wife. Would that make your father…of course. Brenda Viridian, Lance Viridian." He grinned while rubbing his fingers on his bald dome.

I nodded. "Yeah. He's an awesome dad, even if he's rarely home. Still puts him miles ahead of all the other guys Mom wants me to call 'dad'." I used air quotes for the last word.

"Oh. I…see." Mr. Rodriguez stared past me at the printer. After five seconds of pointless awkwardness, he got on one knee and patted both my shoulders. "Ilk and I are here for you. Once your mother is in our hands, I promise that we'll keep you safe."

"Don't make that sort of promise." I pushed his arms off me. "We've been over this. I can handle myself. Just get to whatever Dad has to do with all this."

"All right, all right." Mr. Rodriguez breathed in and out. His exhaling face exuded serenity. "As you might know, or don't, Lance has also displayed the ability to read the minds of Pokemon with just a touch. I thought it was just a publicity stunt until just now, when you showed me otherwise. He's also showcased the ability to heal pokemon through contact alone. Can you do that as well?"

"I…um…" My eyes attempted to examine my ears one by one. "I don't…think…so." A welling feeling rose within me. _This sort of power…sounds amazing! I'd be invincible in any battle! This power would help on a spy mission for sure! Probably._

"Let me borrow Ronny." Without waiting for my answer, he grabbed his pokeball from my hand and gazed at its white underbelly. "He's down 1 Health Point," Mr. Rodriguez explained. "Likely from you throwing the pokeball at him with considerable force."

"Eh?" I held my elbows at my sides and directed my palms at the ceiling. "I just did what you told me to," I protested.

"I'm not blaming you," Mr. Rodriguez replied. "Your throw was spectacular. Few trainers can damage a pokemon with only brute strength. I could see you going pro in a couple years, champ."

"Thanks." A smile crept onto my blushed face.

"On a more serious note," he continued, "Iron Tail is down one Power Point."

"Power Point describes the number of times a pokemon can use a move, right?" I asked. Ilk's shredded guide once had that tidbit in its pages. _Please tell me I'm capable of basic retention,_ I pretended to tell him.

"Exactly." Mr. Rodriguez nodded. "For convenience, we'll call the former HP and the latter PP for the rest of this discussion. Anyway, you directly touched Ronny after he used Iron Tail, but his HP and PP weren't restored. If you weren't aware of such a power until now, it's likely you can't use it unconsciously or consciously. Sorry for getting your hopes up."

I shrugged. "Whatever. Such a power sounds too good to be true, anyway. It's probably another one of Dad's stories. Anything else about his TV exploits that'll make this journey a success?" _Let's change the subject,_ I thought. _It was stupid to hope that something sounding that good was legitimate._ I kept up my smile.

"Sort of." Mr. Rodriguez opened his suitcase and put Ronny's pokeball inside. "During your rest, I've come up with your itinerary for this journey. You'll need a fake reason to tell anyone else who asks what you're up. Especially the Patrollers."

I put my index finger to my lip. "That sounds pretty cool. What's my fake mission?"

"The pokemon league challenge." Ilk pulled out a packet of papers, the cover of which had the words 'Naljo League Rules' surrounded by a glaring pink background. He handed me the packet. "The challenge works as follows," he began. "You will engage a series of professional trainers, known as gym leaders, where your pokemon shall compete with theirs. After you defeat them in formal matches, you get the right to sequentially fight an elite group of four trainers, known as the Elite Four for obvious reasons, led by the current champion. As in, your father."

"Who are gym leaders?" I asked "Ilk mentioned them once, but didn't explain. Are they not fitness professionals?"

"They're not." Mr. Rdriguez looked at the ceiling and smiled. "Well, they might be, but that's irrelevant to their role. Gym leaders are leaders of various cities. They tout, or carry, a set of pokemon with a type specialization. They're best known for their role as a challenging obstacle between a trainer and champion status."

"That sounds neat." I clasped my palms behind my head and leaned backwards. "But this is the fake journey?"

"Indeed." He pointed at the printer. "Grab some paper. It's extremely important that you commit this next part to memory."

"Done!" Ilk dramatically clicked the 'enter' key. He then used his mouse to drag an orange square with a white rectangle on top into the trash can icon. I handed Mr. Rodriguez the 'Naljo League Rules' packet and walked over to Ilk. After pulling the plug from the desktop, he handed me the pokedex with the cord still hanging out of its outlet. "I'll go look for an adaptor," he told me. "Then you'll be able to charge the power at any outlet in a pokemon center. For now, click the notebook-looking icon. That'll let you write down what Chief Rodriguez is saying."

"Thanks." I flipped open the pokedex and saw an intricate menu of apps. I clicked the notebook-looking app as Ilk requested. The loaded screen was a blank canvas. I took the red stylus and drew a circle. Once my stylus left the screen, the text color changed from black to purple. "Heh." I added more details. A freckly face in purple reflected my smile.

"You ready?" Mr. Rudriguez asked.

"Sure thing." I looked up, still a little amused. "Sorry for getting carried away."

"Whatever keeps your mind calm," he reassured me. I sat down, fake pen in hand, and waited for him to continue. "While the pokemon league challenge obviously isn't your true purpose for this journey, you will challenge the gym leader in every city you visit. While in the city, make sure to also do an investigation for evidence of Patroller activity and take thorough notes. Be casual with your investigation. An obsessive one will tip off observers, which will tip off the Patrollers."

"Should I send you the note when I'm done?" I asked.

"No," Mr. Rodriguez replied. "If you're caught and they discover repeated messages to the police chief, there's no telling what they'll do to you and your mother. Contact me only when absolutely necessary." He intertwined all ten fingers. "If that's too unsettling, please don't embark on this journey. I'm still happy to let you stay at my home."

"K-keep going." I pointed my stylus at the pokedex while biting my lip. "You've got more instructions, right? Do more talking."

"Of course." He unclenched his hands and clapped once. "I am about to share with you three key instructions. Remember them above anything else in this discussion. Rescuing your mother hinges on their success. Let me know when you're ready."

"Understood," I replied.

He held up an index finger. "First. Challenge as many trainers as you can. Any fight between two pokemon league challengers must have a cash bet. Continual fights will give your pokemon the experience needed to get stronger, and you'll learn more about battle tactics that best fit your personal style of battle. Plus, you can spend the winnings on items that'll supplement your journey, like items for recovering HP and curing ailments like burns. These will be useful when you're going up against multiple opponents. Got all that? The second instruction has a complicated rationale."

"Just about." I scribbled down the 'HP-recovering item point. "Okay, got it. What's the second tip?"

Mr. Rodriguez lifted his middle finger. "Second, collect gym badges from gym leaders. There's four reasons for this. One, captured pokemon hold higher respect for trainers with the ingenuity to earn multiple badges. This will be useful when training stronger and more willful companions. Two, trainer with badges have special privilidges in regards to public obstruction. Their pokemon may surf across public waters or destroy specified structures that impede their progress, to name just a few."

"Impede means to get in the way of, right?" I interrupted.

"It does." Much of the merriment initially on Mr. Rodriguez's face had completely faded. "Make sure you write down every word of reason three. I'll speak as slow and deliberate as I need to."

I nodded. "I'm ready." _No more hesitating. Trust in your memory._

"Reason three." Mr. Rodriguez held up three fingers. "Earning gym badges gives you a very natural opportunity to talk with the gym leaders. Despite what most kids your age assume, facing challengers is not a gym leader's primary role. They serve as governors of their respective cities and decree city-wide laws. After challenging and defeating them, bring up the Pallet Patrollers and the danger they pose. However, bring the danger up as casually as possible. Their role as specialist trainers will give you an excuse for approaching them outside of your real mission. I suggest, as a precaution, to only bring up your suspicion, not hard facts. This will prompt the gym leaders to discover the truth themselves. If they get involved, that has nothing to do with the police." Rodriguez caught his breath. "Shall I repeat any of that?"

"No, I got it." I showed him the notes I took. "Thanks for putting so much thought into this plan. I feel like I'll save Mom for sure."

"Glad you're feeling confident." Rodriguez held up four fingers. "Reason four. Defeating the Elite Four, the four trainers below your father, will let you meet him. The champion's strong enough to stop whatever dangerous plans the Patrollers are concocting. Plus, his role as Champion, like that of a president, gives him executive power over the Gym Leaders. His decrees are law should he get a majority of people to support him."

"Do I need to meet Dad?" I asked. "Don't you have a way to contact him yourself? Besides, if he's a president, it's his role to find and solve these problems himself. Once Mom's free, of course."

"I thought I did." Mr. Rodriguez pulled his phone out of his pocket. "But calling someone with that kind of power isn't possible on a whim. Even as the Chief of Police, I can't interrupt him from his work unless I declare an emergency. We can't risk the champion, someone obviously connected to the police, acting before your mother's secured. Plus, if the Patrollers sent me this flashdrive through the mail, they've likely tapped the phone lines."

"I see." I morbidly wrote down what he said. "So, this is more a precaution? In case I can't stop the Patrollers from doing their evil plans or something?"

"You don't need to stop anyone," Mr. Rodriguez told me. "You just worry about saving your mother. We'll protect people when taking action doesn't endanger the populace. Now, before your last task, I-"

"What is it?" I asked, hand rigid above the pokedex.

"Here." He handed me Ilk's cell phone. "Look at Ilk's address book. I inputted my number there."

 _When did he get my phone?_ I flipped open Ilk's phone. In the address book, I noted three contacts: Darren Brother, Ilk Home, and Mister Rodger. _Ilk really does only use this phone in emergencies. The only one with a proper last name has an improper first…_ "Are you Mister Rodger?" I asked.

"It's a fake name, obviously." He gestured to his phone. "I know I said to keep contact to a minimum, but I'll feel reassured if you have a way to contact me and never use it. Much better than vice versa."

"So, what's the task?" I asked. "Call you at specific intervals? No, you said you didn't want me to do that."

"Sorry. This wasn't the task." He pointed at my pokedex. "We're not asking you to go on a wild goose chase. Ilk downloaded the key locations from the Patrollers's flashdrive onto your pokedex. Check out its' map icon."

I closed out the notebook and tapped on a scroll with blue water and green mountains adorning it. What then filled the screen was, as Mr. Rodriguez said, a map detailing all the towns and cities in Naljo in pixelated format, with a white bar at the top. Locations were odd little squares connected by simplistic lines. When I clicked the square at the top middle area of the map, the white border atop the map read 'Laurel City', and the bottom right corner featured an icon surrounded by lots of water called 'Saxifrage Island'. The pathway surrounded by water left of Saxifrage was apparently 'Route 79'. An 8-bit icon of a little girl did jumping jacks over a square in the bottom left corner. I clicked on her, and the text on the above screen read 'Caper City'.

I glanced behind me to see Ilk and Mr. Rodriguez staring at the screen too. "Is this girl icon supposed to be me?" I asked.

"Yep." Ilk nodded. "Having the map work as a GPS will help you gather your bearings."

"Does this GPS get more specific?" I asked. I pointed to a black circle in the upper right corner, separate from the map. "Like, does this black circle let me zoom in?"

"If you touch the black circle, the pokedex will point out the cities of interest to the Patrollers," Ilk replied. I touched the circle, and it transformed into a white square. A couple cities were, as a result, engulfed in a light black circle. I touched each one to get their names. Though, without knowledge of these cities in the first place, Patrollers activities might as well have happened anywhere. I clicked the white square, and it transformed back into a black circle. The circular outlines on the map had vanished as well.

"Neat." I glanced towards Ilk. "Mind if I ask one more question about the pokedex?" Ilk met my gaze. "Is there a zoom function?" I asked. "Can I identify that I'm in your lab, not just inside Caper City? Something specific may help."

"Nope." Ilk pointed to his computer. "The map's based on a template I already designed. In less than half a day, I can't make a whole new one large or adjustable enough to do the equivalent of an iPhone's GPS. Especially since I spent a lot of time making more adjustments to the pokedex."

"Professor Ilk's a genius, but not one for updating his hardware," Mr. Rodriguez remarked.

"Software updates are just as effective, and I like having money," Ilk snapped back. "Besides, I'd rather sacrifice visual quality for processing speed. The pokedex has 20 gigabytes of storage, and I want to put them to good use."

"Is that a lot?" I asked.

"For a small handheld computer, it's criminal," Mr. Rodriguez replied.

"What's more important is the content," Ilk added. "Too many programs and the device will run slower than a literal Slowpoke. Fortunately, the programs already installed and the content on this flashdrive barely make up a quarter of the storage space. You'll never have to worry about the pokedex not running properly, as long as you keep it charged. But it'll hold a battery for three days of constant use. You'll be fine as long as you sit in a pokemon center for around ten minutes."

"Got it, got it." I ruffled up my hair. "This is just a lot to take in all at once."

Ilk walked over to me. "Even less reason to worry. Go back to the pokedex's main menu." As per Ilk's instruction, I closed out the map. "Click on the paper clip with eyes around the middle area of those apps," he commanded. After a double click with my stylus, a large document showed up. The title page read 'How to use the Pokedex'.

"Click on that bar." Ilk pointed to the bottom right corner. I noted a 'search' icon next to a blank bar. When I tapped it, the bar enlarged to become 50% of the screen. The 30% below it was a traditional style keyboard. "Got a topic you're confused about regarding the pokdex, use this. It'll streamline the process." I typed 'charge', and after waiting a few seconds, document text appeared above the search bar, with two instances of 'charge' highlighted in yellow. I clicked an 'X' at the top right corner of the screen, and the document returned to its initial form, the 'charge' instances still highlighted.

I glanced down at the page count, which read 'page 17 of 362'. "Did you write all this in less than half a day?" I asked.

Ilk shook his head. "Not exactly. I've had the guide for a while. I just simplified some parts to avoid language kids wouldn't learn until they got into high school."

"Oh." I scrolled through the large document. My brain couldn't process how Ilk customized this guide for me in barely half a day. The time he spent writing this whole guide felt even more alien.

Ilk pushed the power button on the upper right corner of the pokedex. The screen went blank. "You can read it later. Learning through experience will do more for you than a long cramming session you don't have time for. Besides, I do work for the police, even if I'm not directly employed. Keep communication with me to a minimum as well. Just know that I would sincerely prefer the opposite."

"Brenda's safety is worth more than your peace of mind," Mr. Rodriguez remarked. He held my backpack in his arms. Both straps were still torn. I rushed away from him and towards the bed. Beneath or around the bed, nothing of mine was in the area save my shoes. _Mr. Rodriguez must have packed it up while I was asleep,_ I surmised while tying my shoes.

"This everything?" I asked Mr. Rodriguez while grabbing my backpack. I felt Sir Tyrant's pokeball and my wallet inside it, along with the couple of health items I didn't use against Crimson.

"Two more things," he replied as he reached into his suit pocket. He handed me a small card and a slip of paper. The card appeared to be a white business card for 'Beauty Constructors'. Contact information for a Suzanne Vallen made up the left side, while the right side was adorned with a yellow smiley face with yellow rose petals. The slip of paper appeared to be a letter addressed to this 'Suzanne' person, and signed by Mr. Rodriguez.

"This card is for a makeover artist's shop," Mr. Rodriguez explained. "Their main office is in Oxalis City, but they have one of their small branches here. You're going to go there and get yourself a complete makeover."

I raised an eyebrow. "I know I smell, but do I need more than a shower and a change of clothes?"

"You do. Please take out your wallet." I zipped open my backpack and pulled it out. Mr. Rodriguez pulled out his own wallet and handed me around a thousand pokedollars. I fit them snugly alongside the other bills. "Red may have only seen you briefly," Mr. Rodriguez continued, "but he's convinced that you're dead. Changing your appearance will avoid one possibility of triggering his memories." I put my wallet into my backpack and zipped it up.

"Makes sense." I rested my finger on my cheek. "Are we certain he won't recognize me?"

"None of this is certain," Mr. Rodriguez replied. "It's just our best efforts. But you shouldn't concern yourself with being uncovered. The Patrollers have never met you. They'll have no reason not to take your new name and appearance at face value."

"My name and appearance?" I exclaimed, dropping my bag on the ground. "I thought we were just changing how I look! Why change my name too?"

Mr. Rodriguez took a deep breath. "Once you leave the laboratory, you're going to come up with a fake name for yourself, one that you'll expect everyone you meet to call you for this entire journey." He grasped my shoulder and looked me in the eyes. "No one apart from the three of us can know that you're Brenda Viridian. We can't risk leaving behind any evidence that'll draw the Patrollers to you." He glanced to the left. "Ah, but don't worry about the people you've already talked to. That's why you're changing your appearance. Besides, considering the population nowadays, repeat names are not uncommon."

"Oh." I hadn't told anyone apart from Ilk and Mr. Rodriguez my last name. Yet, despite this stroke of good fortune, I gripped Mr. Rodriguez's arm with both of mine. The thought of discarding my unique identifier terrified me. "I'll get my real name back after I've rescued Mom. Right?"

He patted my head with his free arm. "Of course."

After a few seconds of solace, I bent down and grabbed my bag. "I think I have some cards with my name on it. You should take them, right?"

"Consider it already done."

"What?" Rather than take his word, I pulled out my wallet. My library card, joke ID made in class using markers and scissors, and even the BV sticker on the outside were all gone. In place of the two missing cards were two laminated cards, both of which were perfectly clear. "When and how?" I asked.

"When you were asleep, and the toilet." He pointed at his suitcase. "Ronny did a good job of shredding them before the royal flush."

I tilted my head to the side. "What? Does Ilk own a special toilet? Or is this another inside joke?"

Mr. Rodriguez shook his head. "It's gambling slang. Royal flush means five specific cards of the same suit."

"Right." I'd already tuned out. My index finger scratched the area of my wallet where my 10th birthday sticker once was. I put the featureless container of money back into my bag. "What's with the blank cards?"

"Suzanne is going to replace your cards. One will indicate your trainer status. The other's a debit card."

I clutched my head. "Wait, what? I thought she was the beauty person! Why are we now talking about debit cards?"

"Suzanne's office provides a lot of services, not just makeovers," Ilk replied.

"I was getting to that, Professor." Mr. Rodriguez glanced at Ilk briefly with a slight scowl. His returning face featured a smile. "Anyway, the trainer card allows unattended children under 13 to travel past any city checkpoints. It's how they differentiate challengers from lost children. Some checkpoint stations, like the one you passed to visit Professor Ilk's brother, aren't as strict when it comes to rules like these. They're rare." He pointed at the piece of paper in my hand. "Normally, you need an official ID or parent's permission to apply for a trainer card, but that note contains the chief of police's approval. It'll work as your makeshift ID. Once they see my name on it, they'll let you change the name on your trainer card to whatever you want."

 _That must be why Crimson barreled through that guard,_ I realized. However, that left me with another question."Should we worry about Suzanne knowing my real name?" I asked. "That paper must have my name on it, if it's a substitute for my ID. So, she'll know, won't she?"

"Do you see your name on the page?" Mr. Rodriguez asked. I skimmed the document. 'Brenda Viridian' wasn't anywhere. One other name stood out.

"Who's Stephanie Yemens?" I asked.

"She's the daughter of my subordinate, Stan Yemens," Rodriguez began while his bent arm directed his palm at the ceiling. "His daughter is interested in joining the police force. To help her accumulate to high-stress situations, she's taking the pokemon league challenge." He pointed at the paper, never dropping his smirk. "You can read the rest of the letter, but that's the synopsis. Don't worry, Suzanne's never met your father and he doesn't exist."

I gripped both sides of the paper, while my right hand grasped the business card too, and stared at the story. "I-is this alright?" I asked without looking at the target. "I-I know I said I'd do whatever, but this is a big time lie. People go to jail because they use fake IDs for bad reasons." I stared up at Mr. Rodriguez. "Am I doing a serious crime? Crimes hurt people. I don't want to hurt anyone who isn't a bad guy."

"Get used to lying, Stephanie," Mr. Rodriguez told me. "Once you leave the laboratory, you must adapt to your new identity. If your enemies learn your real name, the consequences…" He didn't finish his thought.

"Ahah." My mouth unconsciously formed a fake smile. I fell to my knees, dropping the two items. _Must be nice to be a pokemon,_ I thought as I stared at the pokemon battle depicted on the ceiling. _Literally all you need to say is your name. I'd do nothing but broadcast it._ My smile faded.

Something hit the floor. I looked down to see that Mr. Rodriguez had taken a knee, and clasped his hands together. "You're doing the right thing," he said in a hoarse voice. "By choosing a false name for yourself, you'll save your mother's life, along with however many other lives the Patrollers intend to put in danger." He put a hand on my shoulder. "Have confidence in yourself. That's one thing the enemy can't steal." He nodded. "But you can steal theirs by getting your mother back. We'll give those villains what they deserve."

"Mr. Rodriguez…" I stared at him blankly. _No, bad Brenda! No pity!_ I blinked twice. "Thank you, sir, but…" I pushed his hand away. I used my other hand to push myself up. "I don't need your support. I'm carrying myself and Sir Tyrant." I punched my palm. "These arms are strong enough to do that, at least."

Mr. Rodriguez sniffed. "I'm so proud of you." He bent down to pick up the letter and card. I picked them up first.

I put the two items into my bag and began walking out, bag cradled in my arms. I looked back and saw Ilk and Mr. Rodriguez waving to me. I waved back. "See you guys…later. Hm." I looked down.

"Knock 'em dead, kiddo," Ilk remarked.

"Break _their_ legs," Mr. Rodriguez added.

I looked back up. "One last thing, if that's alright?" Both men stopped waving. "Mr. Rodriguez, you said I'm picking a false name myself. But didn't you already give me that name? Stephanie?"

"Trainers get to pick the name that appears on their trainer's card," Ilk explained. "It's basically a stage name. That Florence kid calling himself Crimson is kind of like that, though he probably doesn't have a trainer card."

"What should I pick?" I asked.

"Whatever it is, don't tell us," Mr. Rodriguez ordered. "The Patrollers might make more demands of the police, like limiting your movements. If we don't know your name, then we can't legally tell a random civilian to limit their movements for no reason."

"Right." I glanced at him, then at my bag. "Leaving for real now!" I dashed through the hall and out the door. I glanced nowhere but ahead.

After closing the door, I began my trudge through the snow. _What should my fake name be,_ I asked myself. _This is what everyone I meet will call me. Will choosing a cool name backfire if people say over and over?_ I clenched my fist beneath my backpack. _No, the name should reflect my morale. I'll pick a strong name. Like one of the great trainers. The famous ones were typically named after colors or jewelry. So, what fits me? More importantly, what do I want on this journey? I want to stay positive. Shine brightly and what have you. I want to cut through all my obstacles. And I want to reflect everything that comes at me. Reflect…jewelry…bright…_

I stood in front of the 'Beauty Constructors' place specified on the business card.With one hand on the door handle, I grinned. "Let's get started…Prism."


End file.
